


| JJ • Kiara | The Broken Aren’t Damned

by SunRaez



Category: Outer Banks (TV), Outerbanks - Fandom, obx - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:35:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 15
Words: 49,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26314258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunRaez/pseuds/SunRaez
Summary: | An Outerbanks Jiara Story |~SLOW BURN~•This story is AU - Not entirely following the storyline of the Netflix show.•WARNINGS: Drug use, Alcohol use, Foul language, Violence, Abuse, Sex
Relationships: JJ & Kiara & Pope & John B. Routledge, JJ & Kiara (Outer Banks), JJ Maybank and Kiara Carerra, JJ and Kiara - Relationship, JJ/Kiara (Outer Banks), JJ/Kiara/John B. Routledge, JJ/Kiara/Pope (Outer Banks), jiara
Comments: 7
Kudos: 51





	1. Temperance

**••• KIARA •••**

It was a beautiful day in OBX, North Carolina. Blue skies, sunny and 82. The temperature was warm for the month of May and Kiara was pumped that this sunshine decided to give an early taste of Summer on her Eighteenth Birthday. 

Kie was the youngest out of The Pogues; the name in which the group of four referred to themselves. They got the name from a Pogie, which is a type of fish that is just a throw away, used as nothing more than bait to catch larger fish. The bottom of the food chain.

Being a Pogue means you are automatically singled out as less than, because of where you live. They reside on the south side of the island, which is referred to as The Cut. A place that is home to the working class; people who make a living busing tables, washing yachts, running charters, etc.

Though that wasn't exactly the circumstance for Kiara. She was born into money and comes from The north side of the island, Figure 8. Home of the Kooks. 

Kooks are the polar opposite of a Pogue. They have wealth, power, and no doubt a membership to some Country Club. They snub their nose at anyone who is below them and wear attire that seems far too ridiculous for an island goer. 

Though Kiara's parents weren't as high maintenance as majority of the people from the North end, they still held a lot of the same beliefs and attended Kook related events.

Her parents are the proud owners of a very successful beach front restaurant on the island called The Wreck. It resides right between the two territories. The menu is versatile with prices both high and low. This made it a popular choice no matter which end of the island you came from. Plus it was a total cash cow to the tourists.

Kiara had been a waitress at The Wreck since she was sixteen, but she has been helping her parents with the place for as long as she could remember. This is where Kiara first met John B, Pope and JJ and she quickly became their favorite waitress. 

**••• Around two years ago •••**

The sun began to rise up from the horizon, welcoming a new day. The light shone through Kiara's bedroom window and she furrowed her eyebrows as it got in her eyes. 

Her head was pounding from the tears she had shed before she fell asleep. Everything in her life didn't feel right. She felt out of place, even in her own home, even by her own 'best friend'.

•••

Sarah had been her friend for years, but as they had gotten older and started becoming more of who they were, things became different. Sarah had been acting off for awhile; ditching out on their plans and sending short responses to texts. She started to point out and poke fun of the things that made Kiara different; like her comfortable hippie style, her love for indie/folk music, her obsession with crystals and nature.

She tried to blow it off, but it had started to really get to her.

Kiara knew they were two different people, even though they were both born and raised on the north side of the island with a silver spoon in their mouth.

Kie's parents made her work hard for what she had instead of just giving her what she wanted. That was the root of the differences between the two of them.

When she saw the Snapchat stories of the party at Sarah's house, her heart had sunk. From what she could tell, everyone they knew was at that party. 

Everyone except Kiara.

It was a final straw for her. After being ignored and left out, feeling like shit, she decided she was done with Sarah for good. She had wasted too much time and energy being there for that girl whenever she needed it, but Sarah was just making fun of her and was now ghosting her.

Kiara knew that she was a strong woman deep down and didn't need Sarah. That she would be fine without her in her life. 

That didn't stop her from allowing her self to cry, and feel the hurt of being left out and alone. 

Deep down she thought that maybe this was a good thing. Being around Sarah and her other friends always felt draining and forced. Kiara found herself thinking I need to be more like them. Or, Everything would be easier if I just gave into the lifestyle of Figure 8.

To make herself feel a tiny bit better about being left out and to truly get the last laugh, she decided to call the cops on Sarah's ass and have them bust the party of under agers. 

As she hung up her phone and settled back into her bed. She closed her eyes, wiping the wetness away from them as she sniffled. "Guess you should of invited me."

•••

Kiara sighed when she couldn't fall back asleep in the morning, so she pulled herself out of bed and went to the bathroom that was connected to her room. She splashed some cold water on her face to help soothe her aching eyes.

She made her way downstairs and into the kitchen. Her house seemed quiet, so she assumed her parents were still sleeping. As the Keurig brewed fresh hot coffee into her favorite mug ( favorite because it had a hippie van on it), she looked at the calendar on the fridge which read that today was the first day of Summer.

"Here's to Summer plans gone down the drain." She muttered to herself.

With a splash of almond milk added to her coffee, Kiara slipped back into her room and sat her mug on her dresser. Her head was still pounding and she knew the perfect mixture to ease it away: caffeine and ganja. 

She walked over to her bookshelf, her fingers tracing over the spines. She stopped on her Tarot card reading book and pulled it out, she could use a little insight right about now. Next, she pulled out a book with a wider spine.

Opening this second book, she revealed hundreds of pages that had been hallowed out to make a deep square inside. The perfect stash spot.

Kie grabbed her weed and a paper from inside the book and rolled herself a joint. Once the seam was sealed by her tongue and the ends were twisted, she held out her work to admire it.

She placed the joint behind her ear and returned the stash book to its safe and secure spot on the shelf with countless other books. She slipped the Tarot card book under her arm and slid its deck and a lighter into her pocket before she grabbed her mug of coffee, climbing out of her second story bedroom window.

The perfect location for her to wake and bake. She sat down on her roof and placed the joint between her lips and set it ablaze, watching as the sun rose up in the sky.

The morning sky was beautiful, with hues of oranges and pinks mixing in with the view. Even though she loved to sleep in, seeing the sun raise up to start a new day was always beautiful.

As her eyes roamed around, taking in the morning sights and sounds, they landed on the main road as a Volkswagen van rolled by. She couldn't tell too much about it from where she was but it appeared to be brown and she could see that it had surf boards bound on top of it.

She smiled, lifting her coffee mug up and looking at the cartoon picture of a van almost identical on her mug. 

When her coffee was finished, she put out her joint inside the cup and sat it aside before grabbing the deck of cards from her pocket.

Kiara didn't know much about Tarot reading yet, but it was something she had became interested in. She felt drawn to these kinds of things. She loved crystals, candles, nature, yoga and anything else that made her feel grounded.

These things were odd to many people from Figure 8. These were the things that made her feel so different from everyone else around her. She had felt like an outcast her entire life. She never wanted to wear make-up or fancy clothes. She never wanted to attend those cocktail events or go to a private school. 

She just wanted to be herself, but anymore there was a cloud of doubt stirring about her, whispering in her ear to give in to the cookie cutter life style.

Kiara closed her eyes as she pressed her hands against the deck of cards. She cleared her mind, taking a few deep breaths to help her focus and set her intentions.

She shuffled the deck, channeling her thoughts to the cards as she did so. Once she was satisfied with the shuffling, she picked out a card she felt drawn to and flipped it over to reveal it.

She stared at the image on the card; an angel floated in the middle of it with a golden goblet in each hand, mixing the liquid inside them together. The word _TEMPERANCE_ labeled the top of the card.

Kiara grabbed the book that went along with the deck and flipped through the pages until she found her card and it's meaning.

### -TEMPERANCE -

_*Identify and acquire the ingredients that will most help you complete your mission and leave the rest behind.*_

_The Temperance card is a reference to the soul. The angel on the card is mixing up a blend of subtle energies for the evolution of the personality._

_The Temperance card suggests that you are in danger of giving up on yourself. Something is making you feel apathetic, making you ignore what you deeply want and need._

_The Temperance card advises you to identify and seek the missing ingredients in your life. Marshal your known skills and abilities and do what needs to be done to complete your mission._

Kiara stared at the card in awe after reading its meaning. She was amazed by the way the first card she drew seemed to speak exactly of her, telling her what she needed to hear. 

A knocking behind from inside the house made her jump and break focus with the card. She looked over her shoulder from the roof to see her mom peek into her room.

_I forgot to lock the door. Lucky I already put the joint out...shit, I didn't get the chance to spritz anything on me or change my clothes._

The thoughts rattled through her mind. She climbed back inside through the window then leaned against her desk, keeping a distance from her mom, hoping she wouldn't smell the weed lingering on her.

"What were you doing on the roof?" She asked.

"Just enjoying a cup of coffee while watching the sun come up." Kiara shrugged. 

Thankfully, her mom changed the subject. "I heard though the grapevine that a party got busted at the Cameron's residence...I was wondering if you knew anything about it?"

Knowing the party successfully got busted didn't make her feel as good as she thought would.

Kiara scoffed at her mother. " I don't party, mom." She lied. "Plus, Sarah hardly even notices my existence anymore, I wouldn't of gone."

"Alright." Her mother said, eyeing her before walking towards her closet. "Don't forget about the dinner this evening at the Country Club. You need to wear something nice."

Kiara groaned. She hated going to the Country Club where everything was far too high maintenance for her liking. The place crawled with snobs and people  
who didn't care about anything other than money and status. Her parents begged to differ though. They found it as a place to make important connections and acquaintances.

"Do I have to go?" She whined, knowing very well she would be forced into a dress and heels for the occasion. She also knew that there was still a slim chance Sarah would show up, even after the party bust. Her dad and step mom were members of the same Country Club and they always seemed to get Sarah out of trouble. 

"Yes, you have to go!" Her mom said as she passed her. Almost instantly her mom took two steps back and looked directly into Kiara's eyes.

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

"You may not have been at that party but you still find a way to give me grey hair!" Her mom grabbed her chin and tilted her head up to get a better look at her. "Smoking weed again, Kiara!? You are sixteen years old, for God's sake!"

Kiara could feel the heat creeping up her face as her heart thumped in her chest. She swallowed hard before opening her mouth to speak, but was instantly cut of.

"That shit isn't going to fly in this house, Kiara!" Her mom said as she dropped her chin and was now using her finger to point at Kiara. "You just earned yourself an opening shift this morning. You'll work until around seven tonight and then straight to dinner at the Country Club. You hear me?"

"But mom, today was my first day off in two weeks with us being short staffed. You knew this!" She whined.

"Well you should of thought about that before you lit up in my house, huh?" Her mom said before turning and storming out of the room.

_Technically, it wasn't in the house..._

Kiara started to giggle at her thought but then let out a long sigh in frustration from being caught. She fell backwards on her bed, head in her hands. Now her high was ruined.


	2. A Pogue Is Born

**••• KIARA •••**

Later that same morning, Kiara took her punishment and opened The Wreck. Thankfully, she had been assigned a section on the outside patio of the restaurant, which had a beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean. It was her absolute favorite section to run because she loved to hear the waves crash against the shore, feel the warmth of the sun on her skin and breathe in the fresh salty air as she worked. 

Still, she was pissed to even be at work on her day off, but understood why she was being punished. Her mother had given her a talk before about being too young to smoke and that all she was doing was frying her undeveloped brain cells. Complete bullshit, of course, but she knew her mother had good intentions for her. 

As she was refilling the glasses of water at one of her tables, she happened to look over at the parking lot as a familiar looking rusted hippie van pulled up. The body of the van was mostly a faded brown and white with an orange and yellow stripe. The top of the van had surfboards strapped to it.

The same one she had seen earlier this morning on the roof.

A small smile spread across her lips, making her momentarily forget that she was upset. She had always been in love with those old Volkswagen vans and dreamed of one day owning one.

The back door slid open on the van, revealing two boys who were playfully shoving each other as they got out and they were soon joined by a third boy, the driver. She couldn't tell much about them from this far away, besides the fact that they were most definitely from The Cut.

"Uh, Ma'am?" A lady at her table spoke, bringing her attention back to what she was doing.

"Ah, shit..." Kie whispered to herself. She had managed to overfill the woman's water onto the table. "I'm so sorry! Let me go grab a rag."

Embarrassed, she quickly marched her way back inside the restaurant with her nearly empty water pitcher. Kiara sat it down on the counter in the kitchen and grabbed a dry rag.

As she exited the door to the kitchen, her eyes wandered over to the host stand where the three surfer boys now stood. She could see them a good bit better now and could tell that each boy was particularly handsome. They must of just returned from the ocean because their hair was damp and they were all wearing trunks. 

One of them with shaggy blonde hair happened to look over and catch her eye. She noticed that he had a small cut on his lip, and a nearly-healed shiner under his eye. She found herself wondering if it was from a fight or battle wounds gained from a surfing accident. 

He shot her a smile which she returned as she walked by him to the patio door. 

As she pushed the door open to head back outside, she could hear the hostess ask "Inside or patio seating?" but the door closed behind her before she could hear the answer.

_Patio, please be patio._

Kiara returned to the table in which she had spilled water. She apologized again and she used the rag to clean up her mess. Luckily the table was a nice family vacationing from out of state who told her not to worry about it.

When she finished with them, she turned to find that the open table in her section had been seated with the surfer boys. 

_Score._

She tossed down her rag at the patio's server station and grabbed three menus, making her way over to the boys.

"Hey, guys! Welcome to The Wreck. My names Kiara and I'll be your waitress this fine afternoon. What can I get'cha to drink?"

**••• JJ •••**

"Can the two of you wipe the drool from your chin?"  
Pope chucked, shaking his head at his two best friends as if he hadn't been awed by their waitress the way John B and him had.

JJ reluctantly tore his eyes away from the cute, curly headed waitress as she walked away to shoot Pope a dumbfounded look.

"Dude." JJ said, hitting the table with both of his fists. "She is fine! Are you crazy?" 

"Seriously fine." John B muttered in agreement with JJ.

Pope shot them a cocky smile as he spoke. "I didn't say she wasn't! But who is she going to want more, two boys who are dribbling over her, or me? A nice, respectable gentleman whose jaw isn't on the ground."

JJ rolled his eyes at Pope. "Oh, put a sock in it."

A moment later the curly headed server returned with their Cokes. JJ's eyes roamed the girl as she placed their ice cold glasses in front of them.

He couldn't help himself, and he knew his friends were doing the same. Her dark curly hair was pushed back by a bandeau to keep it out of her make-up free face. She didn't need it, anyways. She had big brown eyes with long eyelashes, plump pink lips and a sun kissed face. She was showing off her tanned skin by wearing only a tank top and shorts with a pair of yellow vans. JJ had to shift his thoughts before he got himself flustered. 

"Can I get a straw please, Kie...?" JJ asked, trailing off as he forgot how to say her name properly.

"Kiara." She said, helping him out. "But you can call me Kie if you'd like. But no. No straw for you, Turtle Killer." She said, shooting him a charming smile.

"Not that I care if I have a straw or not, but why does that couple over there have them in their glasses?" Pope asked curiously before taking a sip of his coke from the rim of the glass.

Kiara looked over at the table with straws. "Well, uh...that's because technically I'm supposed to automatically give you a straw with your drink, but I'm protesting them from my tables to do my very, very small part in attempt to save the planet, keep the ocean clean."

"Hey, that's actually pretty dope." JJ said and the other guys nodded in agreement. They all loved and respected the ocean. 

"It's not like it's much at all but it gives me a peace of mind." She flashed them another smile, her teeth a bright white against her tan skin. JJ found himself starring at her longer than he intended to again and she caught him.

"Now what can I get you boys to eat?"

The guys placed their orders, feeling starved after a morning filled with riding waves. When the food arrived, they nearly scarfed it all down. Kiara playfully stole a fry or two.

Their table filled with laughter every time Kiara made a stop to check on them and she quickly became the best waitress The Pogues had ever had. 

Not only was she easy on the eyes but her personality was fun and intriguing. JJ found himself smiling so much that his cheeks began to hurt. 

He knew the gang would end up here more often now.

**•••KIARA•••**

As Kiara printed off the checks to the table of guys she now knew as John B, JJ and Pope, she found herself thinking back to her Tarot card and it's meaning, thinking maybe this was a sign from the Universe. It decided to make things clear for her by sticking her dream car, filled with cute boys her age, right in the freaking parking lot of The Wreck on the day she was supposed to have off.

"So...here's the scoop." Kiara said as she returned to the table, their bills in her hand. She sat down at one of the empty seats. "My Dad is the owner of this place and I'd be willing to get these checks taken care of...if I could have a favor in return?"

She bit her lip as she waved their checks around in her hand.

"Hey, alright." JJ said, interlocking his fingers together atop the table and leaning forwards towards Kiara, seeming very intrigued by this proposition. "What favor?"

"A ride in your all's Volkswagen!" She enthused.

The guys all chuckled in unison. She figured they had not expected the deal to get a free meal to be a trip around the block in their vehicle.

"Easy. Done deal." John B said, pulling the keys from his pocket and dangling them up in the air. "Hell, I'll even let you drive her if you wanted to."

"Are you serious!? I have been obsessed with hippie vans since as long as I can remember!" She beamed, tearing up their bills and letting the bits of paper fall into an empty fry basket. "I never thought I'd ever get to ride in one, let alone drive one."

"Well damn, Kie, we are about to make your dreams come true! When are you out of here?" JJ asked.

She glanced up at the clock that hung by the servers station, it's hands reading 2:35. She knew her mom told her she had to work until 7:00 that night, but her heart was telling her to live a little, to be free, even though her brain was telling her how much trouble she would be in.

But at that moment, she didn't care. The restaraunt had been slow that day; even their usual church crowd wasn't as big. Not a whole lot of tourists yet this early in the Summer to pack the place. The Wreck would be just fine today without her.

And as for her parents...well, she would have to figure that one out later.

For a long time she had been dying to break free and be happy, to escape the chains of the Figure 8 life. 

From the time she had spent serving tables, she learned that people from The Cut were the ones who truly knew the way to live life. Often, she wished she could have been born on the opposite side of the island. Funny thing was, people from The Cut often wished they had been born on her side.

She stood up from the table, untying her apron and placing it down next to their empty plates. 

"Right now."

**••• A little while later •••**

The van was just amazing as she had imagined, even more so, really. She fell in love with the open space in the back and the indie surfer vibe the inside was decked out with. 

John B taught Kie how to drive her and she caught on with ease. Pretty soon she was cruising with one arm hanging out the window, following directions given by the boys so she could navigate her way around the uncharted territory of the south end.

Kiara was having more fun that she could ever remember. She had never in her life met a group of people that she could converse with so easily, people who had similar thoughts and beliefs as she did.

She spent that entire evening with JJ, Pope and John B. They took her to The Boneyard, a secluded stretch of beach scattered with enormous pieces of driftwood. They smoked the evening away while getting to know one another.

It was a day that an unbreakable friendship was bonded. A day that a new Pogue was born. This day was the start of Kiara feeling more herself than she ever had before.

Until she got home and all hell broke loose with her mom and dad.

•••

From that day forward The Pogues, party of four, spent nearly everyday together that Summer...much to her parents dismay.

It was a battle that she fought all the time. Her parents didn't understand why she chose to spend her time with three boys from The Cut. But, they were well worth the battle with her mom and dad in her opinion.

Somehow, after relentlessly begging her parents all Summer and telling them how unhappy she was at the private Kook school, they finally agreed to let her enroll into Kildare County High School where the boys attended. 

It was obvious to her that all three boys had a thing for her and she would of been lying to herself if she said she didn't find herself attracted to them as well. After their friendship blossomed, Kiara made a rule for the group: No Pogue on Pogue macking. They had become so important in her life that she couldn't risk losing the friendship of any of them.

Thinking back to her Tarot card, she truly believed that before she meet the three boys that she was in danger of giving up on herself, to give in to life as a Kook. But the day she met them at The Wreck and decided to let her heart chose what she wanted, she identified what her mission in life was and with the help of her three best friends, discovered how to complete that mission, which was to be her most authentic self.


	3. Legal Adult

**••• KIARA •••**

**••• Present Day •••**

Kiara sat backwards on the captains chair of the HMS Pogue, leaning her head against the wheel with her feet kicked up on the seat across from her. She closed her eyes and basked in the warm radiance of the sun.

John B laid across from where Kie sat, his tall frame taking up the entirety of the lounging seat. He placed his hands behind his head and stared up to the sky, watching the clouds pass by.

Pope was draped over the edge of the boat, letting his bare foot slip down into the water of the Marsh as he hummed quietly to himself, drumming his fingers along the side of the boat. 

Kie was the youngest between John B, Pope and JJ. Because of this, she had to watch each of them turn Eighteen and bask in their glory of being a legal adult, which had made her even more impatient for this day to come.

There was no doubt that she had been ready for the teasing to be over. The guys had loved rubbing in the fact that they were legally allowed to do things that she couldn't...not that being underage ever stopped her. 

As the three Pogues waited for the fourth, JJ, to join them, Kiara's mind began to wonder back on a memory that proved that no one loved teasing her more than JJ. He started the moment he turned Eighteen.

**••• A Few Months Ago •••**

_"C'mon! C'mon!" JJ chanted. He had a lottery ticket pressed against the floor of the van, scratching away at it with a quarter he picked up from the parking lot. I sat cross-legged next to him as I watched._

_"Aren't you jealous, Kie?" He said in a playful voice before he blew at the card, sending silver dust to fly off . "...That you don't get to experience the thrill of a scratch off?"_

_I rolled my eyes. In the front of the van, John B had his card against the steering wheel scratching away and beside him Pope used the dashboard as we sat stationary in the gas station parking lot._

_"Nope." I said, emphasizing the 'P' with a pop of my lips. "I bet I've done more scratch offs than you. My dad gets a few every time he stops to fuel up."_

_JJ stopped scratching and took a moment to look away from his card and look at me. "Ooo. Such. a. rebel." He joked, poking fun at me not technically being of age to gamble._

_I rolled my eyes at him again. It seems like I'm always rolling my eyes at JJ, but this time I couldn't help but to let out a soft laugh. "Your whole teasing aspect here is all messed up, considering I have a fake claiming I'm of age to consume alcohol. I could easily buy some scratch offs if I wanted to."_

_"Yeah but..." JJ tossed another losing ticket to the side and replaced it with his last untouched one. "...there is something about being able to do it legally."_

__

_I hit JJ's Juul and after exhaling a cloud of smoke I said "Well where is the fun in that? I prefer the rush."_

_JJ seemed to be caught off guard by my words. He stopped moving for a moment and stared at me, his lips were parted and his expression almost seemed amused or awed, making me wish I could read his mind._

_"Ugh.. duds." John B said, tucking his scratch offs in the sun visor. "Same." Pope replied as he dropped his cards down in the cup holder._

__

__

_I started gazing out the window of the van, figuring JJ wouldn't get much better results than the other two, when he suddenly made me jump._

_"Woo! Yeah baby!" JJ held up his card proudly. "Happy Birthday to me!"_

_"What is it?" I asked. After a brief second of recovering from being startled, I reached out and snagged the card from his hand and brought it over where I could see. John B and Pope turned around in their seats to peer over my shoulders._

_My eyes grew wide as I stared down at his winning lottery ticket, a smile crossing my face._

_"One hundred doll hairs!" JJ sung as he grinned from ear to ear, snatching his card back and waving it triumphantly in the air between John B and Pope. They looked at each other and scoffed._

_"You know what that means?" JJ said eagerly, glancing between the group._

_"Kegger!?" I asked, crossing both of my fingers. From my peripheral vision, I could see John B and Pope raise their crossed fingers up too._

_The grin hadn't left JJ's face. He placed his hand on the door handle and pointed at me with his other. "You read my fucking mind, Kie!" He opened the sliding door and hopped out of the van, practically running back into the gas station to collect his cash._

•••

_"C'mon, Birthday boy." I muttered to a heavily intoxicated JJ. I had my arm wrapped around him, attempting not to fall over from him leaning so much on me._

_As we walked through the trashed chateau, passing a knocked out John B, Pope and a handful of other people from The Cut, JJ kept attempting to tell me a story but would crack up and just end up laughing hysterically every time he tried to tell me._

_I was growing tired from supporting his weight, I groaned as I tried to get him down the hallway. His dumbass so trashed that he was making us bounce off the walls._

_Not being entirely sober myself - though more level headed than him, his leg ended up getting tangled up with mine, making me lose my balance and we dropped to the hallway floor._

_I landed straight down on my back with a thud, half a second before JJ's body slammed against me._

_"Ouch! Fuck! JJ, get off me." I pushed at his shoulders. In response, he place both his palms on either side of my head, extending his arms so his top half was raised off of me._

_"Christ! This looks bad. You're a miner...I'm a legal adult..." He snickered, winking at her. "They'll lock me up for this, Kie."_

_"Wow, you're such a comic, JJ. Now get up! I think I bruised my fucking hip."_

_He didn't budge and I began to squirm beneath him, trying to get out from under him but he wasn't letting it happen._

_All humor was suddenly wiped from his face and a serious expression had set in. My heart began to flutter, realizing he was staring at my lips as his tongue darted out to wet his own._

_"JJ." I whispered, hoping I was wrong about his intentions. "What are you doing?"_

_"You can't tell me you don't want to." He breathed, the smell of alcohol hitting my face as he drew down closer._

_I didn't deny it, instead I said "No Pogue on Pogue macking, remember the rules?"_

_"Fuck rules, Kie!" He groaned, leaning his forehead against mine as his blue eyes bore into my own. "I've wanted to know what your lips tasted like since I first saw you at The Wreck."_

_It was like hearing everything I wanted and everything I didn't want at the same time._

_"You're drunk." I said, giving him another push. This time he obliged and leaned back until he was sitting on the heel of his boots, his shoulders slumped._

_"Kie, I...I'm in lo-" He began to say, but was instantly cut off by Pope who had a hand pressed against his mouth and puffed out cheeks, running through the hall making a mad dash to the bathroom to vomit._

**••• Present Day •••**

"Where the hell is he!?" John B groaned impatiently. 

Pope pulled out his phone from the pocket of his shorts to check the time. "He's forty-five minutes late."

"This isn't like him." Kiara said, growing concerned.

"He's flaked on us before, Kie." Pope pointed out to her. 

"Yeah, well, not like this." Kie shook her head, crossing her arms firmly across her chest. "He wouldn't dip out on my birthday. He knew how important turning Eighteen was to each other. "

As she spoke, there was a nagging doubt in the back of her mind. A though that maybe he did dip out on her day or that something bad has happened to him.

"Hopefully he didn't get into any bullshit with his dad. I've been watching that shit go off and on since we were Eight" John B muttered. 

"Or with the Kooks." Pope chimed in.

"Alright, well we are doing no good just waiting around on him. Let's try getting ahold of him then if that doesn't work we will go and find his ass." Kie said. "Celebrating my birthday without him isn't an option."

Ten minutes went by as they awaited any response.

"Has he replied to either of you?" Pope asked as he held his ringing phone to his ear, bouncing his leg impatiently as he waited to see if JJ would pick up the phone. 

John B let out a long sigh, looking at his blank notification wall on his lock screen. "Nope."

Kiara's phone showed no notifications either, but she unlocked her iPhone so she could see the text messages she had sent to him.

"You've got to be kidding me..." She glared down at her phone screen. 

"What?" The boys said in unison.

"Read receipts says he has opened my messages." As she watched her text screen, she desperately wished to see three dots appear on the bottom left of her screen, to see that he was going to respond..but it never came.


	4. Daddy Issues

**••• JJ •••**

JJ groaned as he started to wake up to the sound of his alarm. It never failed that he slept like shit when he was home. He was always on edge whenever he was here, even when he was sleeping. It had been this way for most his life.

It also didn't help that he was having to wake up early on a Saturday morning.

He sat up in his bed, digging his fists into his eyes as he yawned. Grabbing his phone off of the nightstand beside him, he canceled the alarm that was popped up on his screen before he unlocked it and smiled faintly when he saw the date: Kiara's birthday.

Kie being the last Pogue to turn legal and with graduation ( Lord knows he was only getting his diploma because of her help) just around the corner for all four of them, this was the last hoorah for the group before real, adult life started to settle in.

Kiara's birthday plans weren't quite as wild as the boys had been. She told them that she wanted to start the day early-ish and meet in the Marsh. From there they would start her birthday off on the right foot with some drinking as they made their way over to this tiny, untouched island that they had found one day. She wanted to set up camp; pitch tents, hang hammocks, start a fire, hike, drink, smoke and cookout. 

JJ made his way out of his tiny excuse for a bedroom and hopped in the shower. He leaned his head back, letting the warm water crash over his face in hopes that it would help wake him up completely.

Once he was out of the shower, he wrapped his towel around his waist and stepped into the hallway. He turned to head to his room but stopped, deciding to peer around the corner of the hall and look into the living room.

There laid his father, Luke, exactly where he expected him to be. He was sprawled out across the couch, mouth hanging wide open, bottle clutched in his hand; still fully dressed in his clothes from the day before. The coffee table was covered with empty cans of beer, spilled over pill bottles and an overflowing ash tray.

The sight before JJ was something he was completely used to, but it still made his nostrils flare and anger course through him. He sometimes wonders why it couldn't of been his father that disappeared instead of John B's. Big John was one of the greatest men JJ had ever known.

JJ knew that his father blamed him for his mother leaving to go to Georgia, back to her hometown. It had been ten years ago, but he's never gotten over it. His father tells him that he was nothing but a rambunctious, troublesome and disrespectful child and that she just couldn't take it anymore so she left him and his father behind. 

It was all bullshit. Luke just looking for someone to blame other than himself. JJ vividly remembers screaming matches, glass breaking and doors being slammed by his parents when he was young, but he also remembered the loving relationship he had with his mother. Luke wasn’t around enough to see the happy moments he shared with her, he only came home to wreck them.

It honestly hurt him too when she left, he didn't understand how she could of been heartless enough to leave him behind with his father. But maybe it was a good thing she didn't take him with her because she only made it a few hours away before she pulled out in front of a semi.

After checking to make sure his dad was sleeping, JJ returned to his bedroom. He changed into a cut off tee, cargo shorts and his pair of boots before grabbing his backpack, sitting it on top his bed, filling it with things he would need to bring for the camping trip.

When he was finished with that, he threw the bag over his shoulder. He only needed one more item before he could leave. JJ popped a screwdriver into his back pocket before he made his way down the hallway again, being sure to tread lightly in his boots so he wouldn't wake his father.

He stopped in front of a door. A door that was hardly ever opened. A door his dad never went inside anymore. It lead to a room where his mother had spent most of her time when she was here, when she was alive. Her hobby was painting and this room contained the best natural lighting in the whole house, so she would spend hours in there painting away, avoiding his father.

Looking at the door now, he could still see marks left behind by his dad from when she would lock him out and he would try to bust in.

JJ slowly swung open the door, it made a loud creaking sound and he muttered under his breath. 

"Shit." 

He held still for a moment, listening out for his father to stir. When no sound came from the living room, he proceeded inside. 

The room had stayed exactly as she left it, besides the dust that had collected on top of everything. It was much bigger than his own room. 

JJ's eyes glanced around at her paintings, unsure of what kind of emotion stirred inside of him.

He grabbed the stool from her desk and drug it to the opposite side of the room, stepping on top of it. In front of him on the wall was an air vent. He produced the screwdriver from his back pocket and began removing the screws, careful not to drop them.

Once all four had been removed, he put them in his pocket then grabbed the face of the vent, pulling it from the wall.

As soon as it was removed from the wall, JJ's eyes grew wide and his heart sank. "No...no no no!" 

His hand reached into the vent, desperately feeling around for any sign of the item he was searching for.

He had believed this to be one of the safest hiding spots in the house; considering to his knowledge his father hadn't entered this room in years. Apparently he was wrong.

"Looking for something?" His dad's voice suddenly sounded behind him, startling JJ but instantly making his blood boil. 

_God Damn it._

He turned around on the stool to glare down at his father who was obviously still intoxicated. "Where is it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about or why the fuck you are in her room." He spoke as he staggered inside from the hallway.

JJ wasn't about to take his lying. "Cut the shit. Where the hell is it!?" He had used this hiding spot many times before to stash things away from his dad, so he knew it wouldn't just disappear on its own. 

A bone chilling grin spread across the drunken man's face. "Oh, you mean that pretty little thing you hid in my vent in my house? I thought I heard you poking around in here the other day so I came in after you left to find out what you had been up to."

"What. Did. You. Do?" JJ growled. Part of him was cursing himself for not just keeping the damn thing on his person at all times until her birthday today. 

He wanted to do something special for Kiara, something that would of stood out from John B or Pope, not that it was a competition. Though he wasn't stupid, he knew that deep down all three of them had some sort of feelings for her that was more than 'just friends'. 

"Got a damn good deal at the pawn shop, that's what I done."

"What did you just say?" JJ spat, eyes growing wider as they bore into the man he hated most in the world. He had worked odd and end jobs for money to buy her something nice and now it was all for nothing. 

All so his dad could get drunk and snort pills.

Luke strode further across the room and before JJ had time to react, the stool he stood on was being kicked out from under him. 

The vent went flying from JJ's grip as he landed hard on the ground, his chin making a nasty impact on the wooden floor that rattled his teeth.

"You heard me, boy!" His father growled, hovering over him as JJ rose up to his hands and knees. 

"You stay down there!" Luke exclaimed, his voice just below a shout. Before JJ was able to make it back to his feet, a blow was delivered to his ribs from Luke's boot, making him fall back flat on the ground with a grunt. 

"You've got some nerve even coming in her room in the first place. After what you did to her!" Luke spat out, placing her death, once again, on his son.

Adrenaline began to course through JJ's body as the anger grew, causing him to quickly recover and push himself off the ground, turning to face his father with a raised fist. He made a solid right hook to the man's jaw.

That only fueled his father. Luke grabbed JJ by his shirt and slammed him into the wall, getting in his face. "You think you're some big man, huh? Questioning me, hiding things from me and hitting me in my own God damn home!" 

"Fuck you!" JJ spat, pushing his father away with as much strength as he could muster. Luke stumbled backwards but quickly regained himself, lashing back at JJ with two powerful punches; one to his face and the other to his ribs.

The metallic taste of blood touched JJ's tongue and he could feel it trickling down his face. His vision going a bit hazy from the blow he took, but all he could see was red from his anger.

JJ pushed his dad back again, tackling him into the desk that was behind him. They started hammering into each other, which caused them both to eventually fall to the ground, fighting.

Even while intoxicated from his bender the night before, Luke was a very strong man. He overpowered his son and straddled on top of him, both hands clasping around JJ's windpipe. JJ could feel the blood pounding in his head as his heartbeat rang inside his ears. He struggled beneath his father, both his hands desperately pushing at Luke's face in attempt to shove him off.

He could feel the pressure in his eyes from being choked and he was beginning to gasp for air. In a last attempt to pry his father from him, he took his knee and thrust it upwards as hard as he could into the man's groin.

Luke yelped in pain, releasing the pressure from JJ's throat. Without having time to recover from nearly passing out, JJ took the opportunity to get the upper hand and pushed upwards until he had his father pinned to the ground.

His fists began to make multiple hard contacts to his father's face, not wanting to stop until the man was a bloodied pulp.

"You want to steal from me, huh!?" JJ shouted, his own blood splattering out from his mouth and speckling Luke's already bleeding face. 

"You've stolen everything from me! Everything! You've given me nothing but a shitty life!!" JJ continued yelling. He stopped hitting the man to grab him by the collar of his shirt, lifting him up slightly then slamming him back into the ground a few times.

He wanted nothing more than to kill his father in this moment. As he delivered another blow to Luke, he could tell he was close to passing out. Something about this advantage made JJ feel exhilarated.

He suddenly remembered the screwdriver, he looked over to see it on the floor within arms reach. He snagged it, holding it up high in the air with its pointed metal head aimed right at Luke's face.

JJ hesitated and choked out a cry, his hand shaking as it clutched his weapon. His dad stared up at him through dazed eyes. 

"I fucking hate you!" JJ sobbed out. He couldn't bring himself to send the screwdriver through his father's skull. Instead, he threw it across the room and delivered another solid punch to the man's face; the force of it knocking him out completely.

JJ's chest heaved as he stared down at the beaten face of his dad. He took a second to recover before reaching into the pockets of Luke's flannel. He found a baggie in one of the pockets filled full with a dried up brown fungus. He instantly recognized the magic mushrooms and shoved them into his own pocket and went for Luke's jeans.

He found his father's truck keys and wallet filled with cash. He knew it couldn't of been the same amount that he received from the Pawn shop, but JJ was taking it for himself anyways.

With one last glance at the person he despised, JJ picked up his backpack and stormed out of the house, spitting blood as he walked out the door. 

Even though he had his own car, JJ slid into the drivers seat of Luke's beat up truck and sat in silence for a moment with his head resting against the seat.

As the events that just took place replayed in his head, he screamed at the top of his lungs, slamming the palms of his hands repeatedly against the steering wheel. 

Knowing he needed to get out of there before his father woke up, JJ flipped down the sun visor so he could look at himself in the mirror. He glanced over the damage done, careful not to make eye contact with himself.

JJ then looked in the dash for some napkins and found a nearly-drank water bottle on the passenger floor board. He emptied some onto the napkin and began cleaning his wounds the best he could with shaking hands before putting the truck in drive. 

**••• KIARA •••**

As soon as her eyes landed on him from across the long dock in the Marsh, she knew. Kiara was able to read JJ from a distance without really seeing his face. She knew something was up from his tense, yet slumped shoulders and the way he trudged himself along the wooden planks.

"Oh no." She whispered, her heart sinking into the pit of her stomach. At the sound of her voice, John B and Pope turned their heads in the direction of JJ.

As he drew closer, the damage became visable. His cheeks and eye were bruising, nose bloodied, both his chin and lip busted. More bruising peaked out from the flesh his cut off tee exposed.

John B and Pope stood up quick. They were speaking but she couldn't hear them, she was too focused on the heartbreaking sight that was JJ.

"What the hell?" Kiara gasped as she jumped up from her seat on the HMS Pogue and dashed across the dock toward JJ. As she reached him, he was having a hard time meeting her eyes and she knew why; the redness in them gave it away.

It never got easier, seeing him like this. JJ seemed to always have a new cut or bruise on his skin but the fights he had with his father usually left the nastiest wounds. 

"Damn it...JJ, what happened?" Kie whispered, her own eyes becoming glossy. She could see his damaged pride when he finally looked down at her and held eye contact. She grabbed his wrist, lifting his hand up so she could take a look at his busted knuckles. 

"It's fine, Kie. I'm fine." JJ muttered, pulling his wrist away from her then instantly pulling her into a tight embrace, trying not let her notice him wince from the pain of her body against his bruising skin. "I'm really sorry I'm late, Kiara." He sighed against her hair. "Happy Birthday."


	5. Have A Nice Trip

**••• JJ •••**

Kiara kneeled down in front of JJ on the HMS Pogue, a first aid kit sprawled out on the lounge seat beside where he sat.

He watched her face closely as she cleaned his wounds with an alcohol pad; the way her brow furrowed slightly as her lips parted in concentration before meeting his eyes and giving him a look of empathy. 

"Seriously, we don't have to do this today, JJ. We could plan it sometime after graduation, it's no big dea-" 

JJ instantly cut her off. He wasn't found with the idea of ruining her birthday plans over a fight with his dad. He wanted this camping trip to happen no matter what, because the only thing that could make him feel any better about the situation was his Pogues.

"Kie, really. It's just my dad. It's nothing that hasn't happened before." He said, shrugging before taking in a sharp breath, wincing as the alcohol stung the tender gash on his chin.

She mumbled an apology before he continued talking. "There is no way in hell we are turning this party boat around because of a stupid disagreement and a couple of scrapes." He shot her a closed-mouth smile, but could tell she wasn't buying it.

At that moment, there was the crisp sound of a beer can being opened that caught his attention. He was in serious need of feeling alcohol hit his bloodstream.

He peered around Kiara's head to see Pope steering the boat with his head tilted back, taking a nice long drink while John B leaned down in the Yeti cooler to snag one for himself.

"Hey, toss me one of those crispy boys." JJ said as he stood, ignoring the way Kiara motioned at him as if saying she wasn't done tending to his injuries.

"It's not just a couple of scrapes, JJ..."She sighed, shoving the medical items back inside the first aid kit as he caught a beer and opened it. "You're his son, not his personal punching bag."

He turned to look down at her. "Actually, make that two, John B." 

He caught the second beer as it was tossed across the boat to him and handed it to Kie while she stood up. He gave her a grin, this time flashing his teeth, trying again to show her that he was okay.

She looked up at him with somber eyes. He knew her heart was too damn big to let this blow over like it was nothing, but he would never be able to forgive himself if she spent her entire eighteenth birthday worried about him.

"C'mon, Kie, lighten up!" He winked at her, tossing an arm around her shoulder. Of course the events from this morning were bothering him deep inside, but he wasn't going to let it stop him from celebrating with Kiara and the gang.

After Kie cracked into her beer, JJ lifted his can to hers. "Here's to finally being legal."

As she raised her can to clink against his, John B and Pope had theirs held high in the air. In unison the group said "Cheers!" before taking a drink.

The beer was cold, refreshing, and exactly what JJ needed.

•••

They spent a few hours floating around and swimming in the Marsh, wanting to catch a good buzz before they headed to the island to set up camp. 

The boats stereo was set to their favorite radio station which never failed to play the best feel good music.

Each member of the group was five beers deep when JJ caught himself yet again in awe by Kiara. She was so full of life, dancing around the boat without a care to the song on the radio.

Pope continued to captain the boat, singing along to the song thumping through the speakers while John B joined Kie. JJ sipped his drink, shaking his head with a chuckle at their ridiculous moves and Pope's God awful singing. 

This was where he felt most a home, right here with this bunch of outcasts. The Pogues were more of his family than his own flesh and blood.

Kie twisted away from John B and he snatched a fresh beer from the cooler then sat on the edge of the boat, singing along to the song with Pope.

JJ arched an eyebrow at Kie when she pointed at him before beckoning him over with the same finger. He shook his head at first, but she wasn't going to take no for an answer. She shimmied on over to JJ, grabbing him by the shirt and pulling him to his feet. He finally obliged and took his turn dancing with the Birthday Girl.

Thanks to his three best friends and beer, the earlier situation with his father was pushed to the back of his mind, but he damn near forgot about it completely as he watched Kiara throw her head back in laughter as he bopped and weaved around with her. 

This is how he wanted her to spend her day: happy and free, without a single worry in the world.

**••• Kiara •••**

**••• A few hours later •••**

When The Pogues arrived at the island, they spent time exploring around and taking in the beautiful scenery. Kiara was very content being surrounded by nature with her three best friends; this was exactly how she wanted to spend her birthday.

Eventually they found where they wanted to set up camp and began to bring their supplies to that spot. They pitched a tent, strung a few hammocks and gathered firewood. 

Once everything had been set up, John B began to strum away at his guitar while Pope and Kiara shared a hammock, rocking it back and forth with a foot on the ground. 

Kie watched as JJ fiddled with starting a fire. He had placed stones in a circle before adding the wood. He used his favorite silver zippo lighter to catch some dry grass and twigs ablaze and was now laying flat against the ground, puffing his cheeks as he softly blew against the flame, smoke beginning to billow out from the wood.

After about ten minutes, he had a decent fire started. JJ stood from the ground and brushed the dirt from his body. "And that, my dudes, is how it's done."

"It's about damn time." Pope said, leaning up from his relaxed position. "If I don't have a s'more in my hand soon, I'm going to lose my mind."

"That reminds me...I forgot something on The Pogue." Said JJ. Kiara watched him as he walked away from their campsite and headed for where they had docked the boat. 

After a few moments of silence between the three of them, Pope finally broke it. "Alright, I got to whiz."

Pope popped up from the hammock and darted away from Kiara and John B to take care of his business behind some tall weeds, out of ear shot. 

John B and JJ never cared where they were or who was around when they had to go. They would even stand on the edge of the boat and piss in the water with Kie right there. Hanging out with guys most of the time, she had grown used to it. Pope, on the other hand, claimed he had a 'shy bladder' and always found somewhere secluded to take a leak, at least when Kie was around.

As she observed JJ from afar between the trees, Kiara found herself with a burning questioning. She shifted in her seat nervously for a moment before she found it in her to ask.

"John B?" She spoke out to him, he stopped chord-strumming and looked towards her.

"Yeah, Kie?"

She began fidgeting with the silver ring she wore on her middle finger. "Do you remember when you kissed me...the night we found out about your father?"

The question peaked his interest. John B sat up straight and laid his guitar across his lap. "Yeah...yeah I remember."

She nodded her head, giving the ring another twist around her finger, avoiding his eyes. "Did you tell JJ?" When she finally looked to him, she could tell that he hadn't expected her to ask that question. 

He cocked his head at her as he spoke. "Why do you ask?"

Kiara shrugged her shoulders and gave John B a soft smile. "I was just wondering."

"No. I didn't. " Kie felt sort of relieved as he spoke. "No Pogue on Pogue macking, remember? I didn't want the gang to freak out."

"Right." She wasn't exactly sure why, but the idea of JJ ever finding out about her one intimate moment with John B just didn't sit right with her. The kiss hadn't meant anything serious, he was in a moment of weakness and she had sat up with him all through the night after Pope and JJ fell asleep while he had mourned. The kiss had caught her off gaurd. At the time it felt right, but they both agreed it's intentions were harmless and done in a moment of needing comfort.

As Pope returned back to them, he had four sticks in his hand. He started digging through their supplies; pulling out a box of graham crackers, bars of Hersey's chocolate and a big bag of marshmallows.

JJ returned shortly after, walking over to the hammock Kie was swaying in and tossing a baggie in her lap. She picked it up, holding it close to her face as she examined its contents.

"Is this what I think it is?" She said with a tone of excitement.

"Don't say I never got you anything." He joked, motioning for her to get out of the hammock and come by the fire.

She hopped down out of it eagerly. Kie hadn't had much experience with psychedelics, only trying shrooms once before in the past. She had loved the spiritual awakening she felt while on them.

Pope handed around the sticks and they all began poking them through marshmallows before holding them over the fire, watching as they bubbled and crisped.

As they smushed the melted mallows onto the graham crackers and chocolate, JJ sprinkled the magic mushrooms on top of John B, Kiara, and his own sticky snack before adding a top cracker. 

Pope declined the offer. He wasn't big on anything other than alcohol and figured there should be at least one semi-level headed person.

Before Kiara was able to take a bite of her s'more, the three guys busted out singing Happy Birthday in unison. She couldn't help but grin from ear to ear.

•••

After about a half hour, a few magic s'mores a piece and a good bit of yawning, the three of them began to feel the effects. Kiara felt peaceful, grounded, light.

As she stared into the campfire before her, she was amazed at how the patterns and textures in the flames started to fold and shift, sort of like a lava lamp.

She began to laugh softly at the sight before her, not entirely sure why she felt a fit of giggles brewing in her. She pulled her eyes away to glance between the other three in the group to see if they were finding this as amusing as her.

JJ was also looking into the fire with a grin as his shoulders bounced slightly. He was snickering to himself.

John B's eyes danced with amusement. "Whoa..!" He chuckled "Are you guys seeing this?"

"Lava lamp!" JJ and Kiara replied in unison. This made both their mouths fly open in shock, staring at each other. 

JJ spoke again "Holy shit!"

John B's eyes grew wider. "Did you two just read each other's mind or some shit?"

On the other side of the campfire, Pope was shaking his head. "Y'all definitely feeling it."

•••

After sometime, John B decided he wanted to take a swim. Pope followed along, afraid he might drown without supervision. He had clearly sobered up some from having to trip sit the three of them.

"You two don't do anything stupid while I watch Michael Phelps here." Pope said over his shoulder as he followed John B.

"No promises." Kiara giggled. She smiled big and closed her eyes, leaning her head back to let the sun kiss her tan skin. 

She loved the way it warmed her.

As she opened her eyes, she could see the two guys reach the water from between the swaying trees and she jumped up from her seat.

"Everything is so beautiful, JJ!" She exclaimed as she spun around gracefully. "Don't you feel so alive?"

"Yes." He agreed as he watched her and she giggled again. 

She glanced behind JJ, noticing a swirling patch of green. "Let's go lie down in the grass!"

JJ followed her over and they laid down together on the ground. Kiara let out a deep, content sigh as she stared up at the sky; the wispy white clouds whirled around as the tropical trees swayed; almost as if dancing to the quiet, peaceful sounds of nature.

They didn't say anything to each other in that moment, both just enjoying the beautiful and spiritual power of the hallucinogen.

Kiara placed her palms flat against the grass, moving her hands around slowly, letting the blades tickle her skin. 

Her fingers suddenly brushed up against JJ's and she stopped moving her hands. Her head turned to the side so she could look at him, breath catching slightly when she noticed he was already staring at her.

The blue of his irises were barely visable against his widened black pupils. He slid his hand into hers and laced their fingers together, making her hand tingle from the contact of his skin.

They held each other's gaze, a feeling of euphoria swelling inside of her chest. He looked more real and beautiful than before, even with the wounds on his face. She felt like she was seeing him, really seeing him, for the first time.

His thumb was tracing circles along the back of her hand, making her shiver as goosebumps rose along her flesh. Without her realizing it, their faces had drawn in closer to each other.

Her lips parted slightly, wanting to crash into his own. It felt like the right thing to do in that magical moment, but her conscious suddenly whispered in the back of her head to stop.

Kiara tore her eyes away from his and sat up quickly but didn't let go of his hand. After a moment he rose up next to her.

"I got you something." He said quietly. 

Her heart hammered against her rib cage from nearly kissing him. When she met his dilated eyes again, he offered her a small smile.

"Yeah, currently experiencing that gift." She noted. 

He laughed, shaking his head. "Consider that a gift to both of us. I got you something else, something just for you."


	6. Pogue Princess

**••• JJ •••**

**••• Earlier that day •••**

JJ slung gravel as he sped out of the driveway in Luke's truck and headed for the main road, eager to put some miles between him and his sack-of-shit father. 

He clutched the steering wheel as tight as he could, trying to stop his hands from shaking and ignoring the ache of broken flesh along his knuckles.

His phone vibrated for what seemed like the hundredth time in the pocket of his shorts. He groaned in agitation as he dug it out, unlocking it and glancing at the screen. 

**Kiara:**

**10:47 - ONE MISSSD CALL**

**10:49- Yo where the hell are you?**

**10:54- If you are still sleeping I promise you your ass is going to end up at the bottom of the marsh when you decide to show up 😒🔪**

Reading her texts caused the corner of his busted lips to inch upwards slightly.

**John B:**

**10:46 - You good?**

**10:50 - Ice is melting away in the cooler, bro. There is beer to be drank and a Pogue to be celebrated.**

**Pope:**

**10:45 - Yo the HMS Pogue is ready to roll, where you at?**

**10:55- Don't do this to Kie, man. It will crush her if you don't show up. Get here.**

**11:01 - TWO MISSED CALLS**

He scrolled through his notifications, his eyes only leaving the road briefly to view them.

JJ wanted nothing more than to head straight to the dock at the Marsh and be with his friends, but there was something he had to try to do first.

He pulled his dad's beaten up old truck into the parking lot of Pirate Pete's Pawn and killed the engine. He used the napkin again to soak up any fresh blood from his appearance before hopping out of the truck and making his way inside.

The shop was dark, dusty and ran down. He had been there multiple times with his father in the past, due to the fact that the man was a kleptomaniac with a drug and alcohol problem to fuel.

The store seemed completely empty of any other person, the only sound was a soft hum coming from a stereo sitting on a counter, which was stamped with a price tag.

As JJ made his way further into the shop, his eyes darted all around through the items in search of Kiara's present, praying that it was still here.

He started to feel sick to his stomach as he searched, thinking that maybe it was gone for good. He had looked up and down the rows of glass display boxes full of random trinkets with no luck.

He was about to give up all hope as he walked past the cashier's counter when something caught his eye and made him do a second take. 

There it was, displayed right next to the cash resister, begging to be bought. Relief instantly washed over him as he bent down to get a better look at it through the glass window. 

His eyes then landed on the price tag. 

_Shit._

He knew he should of expected to see that amount listed, but he was too worried about locating it first.

He looked to the metal keyhole on the sliding glass door which was located at the top of the case. He peered around behind the counter for any sign of an employee. 

_Nothing._

He was running out of time to get to the Marsh. If he didn't make it there before noon, he knew he was shark bait. 

JJ surveyed his surroundings. There were three cameras covering the inside of the pawn shop. One facing the door, one facing the cash register, directly where he stood and one covering the middle of the shop, angled just enough where the cashier's counter was out of its shot.

The other two not on him had blinking red lights, indicating that they were recording. The one facing him was the same type of security camera as the other two but wasn't blinking at all.

He knew there was still a chance it was recording, but after the morning he had, he didn't care.

Laying next to the cash register was a stack of papers held together by a paper clip. JJ nonchalantly reached over and slid the paper clip from the stack. 

JJ bent the clip until it was perfectly straight. He let out a low, shaky breath before he stuck the paper clip inside the metal lock, moving it around and around in attempt to open it. 

At last, it finally clicked.

JJ put the clip in his pocket then carefully slid open the case door before reaching down and grabbing Kiara's gift. He was happy to have it back in his own hands.

"Interested?" A man's voice asked. JJ's head whipped in the direction, spotting a man with a long grey beard emerging from a door he assumed to be the bathroom. He made his way to opposite side of the counter as JJ. He wore a name tag that said Pete and JJ recognized him from when he'd been in this store in the past.

"Yeah, sorry. I noticed the sliding door wasn't shut all the way and I wanted a closer look."

Pete was looking at him through cautious eyes and he wasn't sure if it was because of his busted up face or the fact that he didn't buy his story...or both.

"You Luke Maybank's boy?"

JJ nodded his head but didn't speak, images of his father's beaten face flashing across his mind.

"What happened there?" The man asked, his hand motioning to JJ's face. 

"Surfing incident. Had a nasty encounter with a reef." JJ lied then cleared his throat, holding up the item in this hand. "So uh, you willing to go any lower on this?"

Pete laughed, shaking his head. "Not a chance. That's 24k gold there."

"Yeah...yeah I know." JJ said as the man reached across the counter and took the item from him. JJ cursed to himself when he noticed the man looking at his knuckles. 

"Funny thing...your daddy just pawned this item yesterday and now you're in here after it."

JJ sighed with agitation. "Yeah, well, that's because this belongs to me. It wasn't his to pawn."

"Kid, you don't know how many times I've heard that one."

JJ grabbed his wallet and threw down all of its contents. "This is all I got right now. I can come back with the rest in like...three days."

Pete shook his head and it was taking everything in JJ not to snag Kie's gift back from his grubby hands and run.

"Why don't you just come back in here three days from now when you can pay in full?"

JJ ran his fingers through his hair, tugging at his roots in frustration. "I have to have it today. I worked my ass off to afford that. It's a gift to someone really important to me."

Pete paused for a moment as he looked at JJ but shook his head again. "You're barking up the wrong tree, kid. I'm running a business here."

"C'mon man! If you know my dad then you know that most of the shit he pawns here is stolen! Now he is taking from his own son just to be able to afford his addictions."

Pete was quiet for a long moment, looking between the item in his hands then to JJ. He seemed to be placing things together in his head.

When he finally broke the silence, he pointed at JJ's face. "Honest now, did a reef cause those or did your old man have something to do with it?" 

JJ was never fond of discussing the matter of his relationship with his father to anyone. The only people that really knew were Kiara, Pope and John B. 

JJ scratched the back of his head, feeling uneasy about the topic as he spoke. "Uhm...the latter."

Pete nodded his head as if he already knew the answer to the question, but pressed on. "I'm guessing it was over this?"

This conversation was becoming very uncomfortable to JJ, but he was hoping if he stuck it out he might end up leaving with her gift. "Yep."

"Girlfriend?" 

_Jesus fuck, how many questions is this guy going to ask?_

"No. No I wish. She's my best friend, though."

"Do you love her?" Pete asked yet another question and JJ was close to just banging his head against the glass case.

"Look, man, I don't have time to play twenty quest-"

Pete cut him off. "Just answer the question, kid."

"Yeah, I love her." JJ figured he might as well try this guys heartstrings since he was so interested in JJ's life. "I saved up every bit of cash I earned for two weeks, bought it and hid it away until today, went to get it and it was gone. I got my face beaten in over it and now I'm here to get back what's mine because it's her birthday and I want her to know what she means to me."

Pete seemed to ponder on JJ's words for a long moment before shooting him a toothless grin. He dug into his pants for a wallet then flipped through its photo holder and held it out to JJ. "There's my Martha. We were married thirty-eight long years. Best years of my life..."

JJ's patience was hanging by a thread. A glance at the clock on the wall showing it was inching close to eleven thirty. He was almost an hour and a half late.

"...you remind me of myself at your age. I had to fight tooth and nail to win her heart over..."

_Fuck man, get on with it._

"...no one wanted to see us together, and she was so damn stubborn at first..."

_It's right there. I could grab it and run. He wouldn't be able to catch me._

Pete rambled on and JJ nodded his head as though he were listening, but he would of rather took that pistol for sale on the wall and shove it inside his own mouth.

"...I know if she were still here, she'd want me to do the right thing."

This caught JJ's full attention.

Pete cleared his throat, obviously trying to hold back his emotions. "I'll tell you what, kid, I'm a sucker for love. I know I'll regret this, but I'll just take this here..." Pete grabbed the cash JJ had laid down earlier and opened the register. "...and you go get your girl."

JJ almost couldn't believe what he was hearing. Pete reached over and handed Kiara's gift back to him. Without hesitation JJ took it, but as he did, Pete firmly grabbed his wrist.

"But if I catch you in here trying to steal from the shop again, there will be hell to pay. Don't end up like your old man, kid."

JJ quickly nodded his head. "You got it, Pete. I won't." Pete dropped his wrist and JJ sprinted out the door before he got held up with anymore story telling.

**••• Kiara •••**

"You didn't have to get me anything, JJ."

He smiled at her again, his hand was reaching down into a pocket in his cargo shorts. "You're right, I didn't have to...but I wanted to."

Kie watched JJ as he produced an item from his pocket. He held his hand out to her once he retrieved it and she was instantly awe struck from what she saw dangling from his clutch.

"JJ..." She whispered, her hammering heart showing no sign of slowing down from their near kiss as she now looked at her lovely gift.

JJ was holding out a necklace to her. It was golden and the pendant that hung from the chain was circular and flat. Words were spelled out in the center of it, encrusted with small diamonds. Kie reached her hand out and took the pendant between her fingers to steady the necklace from swinging in his grip so she could read what it said.

Tears began to swell in her eyes as she read the words. The diamonds spelled out Pogue Princess. She knew the shrooms were making everything around her insanely beautiful but this necklace would be just as beautiful once they wore off.

"Oh my God, JJ...it's beautiful." Kie whispered again, a tear falling from her eye.

JJ used his free hand to catch the rolling tear from her cheek and brushed it away with his thumb. "Well, it fits you then."

Kiara sprung forward and wrapped her arms around JJ, burying her face against his neck. His arms instantly slid around her waist and pulled her body tight against his own. He made the slightest sound of discomfort and she tried to shift so she wasn't pushed against his bruising ribs but he wouldn't let her budge.

It was more than she could of ever wanted. At the beginning of her birthday her heart was feeling crushed from JJ's absence, and it ached even more when he showed up bloodied and bruised. Now her heart felt full because he had made her day completely special.

Time seemed to stop for a moment as they held one another and she felt at peace breathing in his scent which was a mix of firewood and cologne.

After a few moments JJ broke their silence and leaned back. "Here, lets see it on you."

Kiara turned from him, scooping her curly hair into one hand to get it out of his way.

JJ reached around her and took each end of the necklace in his hands and pulled the chain around her neck until the clasps met. As they hooked together, she could feel his fingertips lingering against the bare skin on the back of her neck.

She shivered from his touch and turned back to face him, letting her curls fall from her hands. She gazed down at her neck. It looked perfect amongst the beaded necklaces she always wore; his golden gift hung just a little lower than the others and the flat pendant rested against the hollow of her throat.

Kiara melted when she met his eyes again, he appeared truly happy in that moment and she felt an overwhelming sense of love for her best friend. She knew he felt it too, because he was looking at her in a way that made butterflies flutter inside her stomach.

Kiara had to look away, the sensation to kiss him was creeping back up inside her and she wasn't sure if she would be able to push it away this time. Deep down inside she was cursing herself for feeling this way. She knew her judgement must be clouded.

JJ grabbed her chin between his forefinger and thumb, tilting her face up and forcing her to look back into his dilated pupils.

He didn't speak and neither did she. Her tongue darted out to wet her lips in anticipation of what was to come next and he did the same. 

As he leaned into her, lips so close that it made her chest swell with emotion, the sudden sound of foot steps snapping twigs made her lean back. JJ dropped his hand from her chin down into his lap with a groan. They looked over to see John B and Pope making their way back towards the campsite.


	7. Broken Boy

**••• JJ •••**

JJ couldn't deny his slight annoyance as Pope and John B returned to the campsite. He had been so close to knowing how it felt to kiss the girl he had been in love with for two years. He could see it written all over her face that she had wanted it to happen in that moment, but was attempting to push it away. The second he grabbed her chin and forced her to meet his eyes again, he knew he had her but his luck had ran short.

It would of been the sweetest reward after everything he had been through that day with getting the necklace to her. Though the reaction he got when he gave it to her and how her eyes glazed over with tears of happiness as she slung herself around him would suffice.

Apparently the two of them had returned back so quickly because John B had seen a alligator in the water. Although they had seen gators in the Marsh more times than they could count, he stated that being in the water with one while tripping was not a pleasant experience.

The annoyance he had felt was short lived. The three of them were still tripping and it was hard not to be in a good mood around his best friends. They spent the next few hours wondering around the island yet again, taking in the whimsical sights before the sun started to set.

When it grew dark the effects of the magic mushrooms began to fade. The four of them sat around the fire and JJ rolled a blunt. As they passed it around while finishing off the remaining alcohol in the cooler, they reminisced on days past and spoke of what was to come after graduation.

Eventually John B fell asleep in his camping chair beside the fire, and the rest of them grew just as tired after the eventful day. 

It seemed Kie was more than content with how her birthday had came together, and though he didn't get his kiss, seeing her happy was all he could ever want.

**••• KIARA •••**

The sound of obnoxiously loud snoring pulled Kiara out of her sleep. She instantly knew who the source of the sound was coming from because of the many times it had woken her up in the past. She attempted to fall back asleep but it never came.

Now she laid wide awake in her hammock, staring up to the clear night sky that was speckled with thousands of stars, left alone with her thoughts. Her her fingers found their way to the pendant of the necklace she was gifted, forefinger brushing over the tiny diamonds as a smile crept onto her face.

She hadn't expected for JJ to go above and beyond for her. She could tell by the looks of it that the necklace had been in no way cheap and he had clearly put thought into it by having it personalized.

A sudden urge to go to him washed over her. It was like a pull from a magnet that she couldn't resist. She wasn't sure what was going on with her today, if it had been the effects of the shrooms earlier or the buzz of alcohol she still felt, but she was yearning to be close to JJ.

Kie sat up in her hammock, feeling a bit groggy as she rubbed her face. She looked over to the smoldering fire to check and see if John B had ever made it into the tent with JJ. Part of her hoped he had, so that she could shove this urge back deep inside her, lock it up and toss away the key.

But there he was, still asleep in his camping chair with his feet propped up against another one that sat across from him, arms crossed firmly over his chest with his head hanging low. 

Now there was nothing stopping her from going to see JJ.

Kie slipped down out of her hammock, bare feet hitting the cold ground. She tip-toed past the source of the snoring: Pope, who was strung up between two trees beside her. Though JJ and John B would occasionally snore, Pope had them beat. Anytime he fell asleep after a night of drinking, he would saw logs. She learned this from the many times she'd crashed at the château with the boys.

Next she moved around John B, walking as lightly as she could so she wouldn't disturb either of them; the last thing she wanted to do was get caught by the two of them. Although she knew they tended to be heavy sleepers, she wanted to be as cautious as possible.

When she reached the tent, she unzipped it slowly until it was down enough for her to be able to peer inside. With only the dim light coming from the campfire behind her, she could faintly see that JJ was shirtless and laying on his back with one leg sticking out from underneath his blanket.

"JJ?" She whispered, loudly enough to try and wake him but softly enough to ensure the other two boys behind her wouldn't stir as she unzipped the tent the rest of the way.

He mumbled something unintelligible and rolled onto his side as she climbed in with him, zipping it back up behind her.

Kie moved over beside him and sat back on her heels, admiring how peaceful he appeared in his sleep; almost as if he were a younger version of himself. Part of her didn't want to distrupt him from this state of tranquility, yet another part of her was itching for him to be aware of her presence inside of the tent with him.

She reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder and softly shaking him as she spoke quietly. "JJ!"

He groaned before muttering "No!" as he shoved her hand off of him without waking up. She frowned to herself, waiting a moment before placing her hand on him again.

"Hey...hey it's me." She whispered, squeezing his shoulder gently.

His eyes flew open to glare at her, but it was almost as if he was looking right through her. His own hand flew up to forcefully grab hers as he growled. "Don't. Fucking. Touch. Me."

Kie whimpered from the force of his grip, her eyebrows kitting together. As he shut his eyes, she pulled away from him until he finally released her. JJ rolled onto his back again.

She rubbed her hand, looking at him with concern. Perhaps he hadn't been sleeping as peacefully as she had assumed.

She watched him for few seconds longer to see if he would finally come to, but soon soft sleep sounds escaped his parted lips. Kiara decided this had been a bad idea to begin with and that she probably shouldn't see what a third attempt of waking him would get her.

She sighed and started to crawl back over to the exit of the tent but, as she did so, she accidently trudged over JJ's leg that was kicked out from under his covers.

He shot up quick and grabbed the back of Kie's shirt, pulling her down until she hit the floor of the tent. He climbed over her and pinned her down.

JJ gripped onto her shoulders hard and she let out a small yelp from unexpectedly being shoved down and from the force of his fingers curling into her skin. "I'm done letting you push me around, old man. You're nothing but a piece of shit!"

"JJ, stop! It's me!" She had never known he was one to sleep walk or one to be very dazed and disoriented when disrupted from sleep. From the amount of times they'd slept over at John B's, he had never been this way, but perhaps he was still on edge from the scuffle he had with his father the morning before. "It's Kiara!"

She stared up at him with widened eyes, praying he would snap out of the daze. JJ blinked a few times before he started to really see her, to really look into her eyes rather than through her. It was almost heartbreaking to watch the anger in his face melt away and turn to realization then to utter horror as he released his grip on her shoulders. "Kie?"

"It's me." She repeated again, unsure of what to do or say. This wasn't what she had expected to happen when she wondered over to his tent. She hoped his shouting hadn't pulled John B or Pope out of their sleep.

"I-I'm sorry." He choked out, obviously shaken up from realizing what he just did to her. He dropped his head and buried his face against her shoulder, words muffling against her skin. "I'm so sorry, Kie. I thought you were-"

She cut him off "Shhh...it's fine." Kie hesitated before reaching up to hold onto him, one hand finding its way to the hair at the nape of his neck, stroking it gently. "It's okay."

"I hate him." As he spoke his voice started to break and as his frame began to shake against her. She felt a dampness on her flesh and realized he was sobbing quietly into her shoulder.

"Me too, J." She whispered, turning her face to press her cheek against the side of his head. She held onto him as tight as she could to try and calm him. "Me too."

They were quiet for a few long moments before he sniffled softly. "I almost killed him, Kie. I wanted to kill him, but I couldn't do it."

Kiara moved her hands to grip his moistened cheeks, pulling his head up from her shoulder so she could see his face. The sight of the broken boy making her want to break down right along with him. 

Seeing him this way because of his relationship with his father absolutely killed her and made her want to protect him. It was as though the older JJ got, the worse his dad became. She was afraid that even though he told them a lot, that her and The Pogues didn't even know half of what happened behind closed doors in his home.

"I don't think you should go back there. If I see you black and blue because of him again, I'll try to kill him myself." 

He gave her a half-hearted smile but shook his head. "I don't have anywhere else to go."

Kie swept her thumbs against his cheeks, attempting to brush away the wetness on them. "Bullshit. Crash at the château! At Pope's! Hell, I'll force my parents to let you stay with us...just...don't go back there...please."

"It's not that easy, Kie."

"Yes it is. I know you, you just feel like you'd be intruding, which isn't true...maybe after graduation the four of us can all get a place together."

He sniffled again and nodded his head before resting his forehead against hers, closing his eyes and letting out a shaky breath.

"JJ?" Kie asked quietly after a minute.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

He opened his eyes, meeting hers once again. "For what?"

"For showing up and putting on a happy face for me after fighting with him...for the necklace...for everything. That's why I came over here...I couldn't sleep...and I just needed you to know how special you made today."

"You don't have to thank me." He pulled his forehead away from hers so they could see each other better. "I would do anything for you."

She smiled at him but didn't speak, just observed him closely. JJ reached his hand up and tucked a stray curl behind her ear, the subtle gesture of it warming her.

He was looking at her in that way again. The way he had the night of his birthday when they fell against the floor in the hallway. The way he had hours ago when he gave her the necklace. Maybe this time with even more earnestly than before.

Even in the dim light, she could see the intensity of his blue eyes longing for her. He glanced between her eyes and lips, causing her breath to catch and her pulse quicken. 

He leaned down ever so slowly, almost as if he was waiting to see if she was going to reject what he was about to do.

This time, with the effects of the shrooms no longer clouding her judgement, warning signals began going off inside her head. JJ had always been a ticking time bomb; reckless and destructive, especially with woman. She had seen him use girls and break their hearts. He was polar opposite than anyone that she'd want to share an intimate moment with. He was exactly the kind of guy her mother would warn her to stay away from. 

Kiara knew he was different with her, though. She also knew deep down that he had always felt something strongly for her, just like the other two Pogues.

She couldn't deny the fact that she didn't want him to stop. Lately her feelings for him had been confusing and she had felt so drawn to him, and in that moment she didn't care about any of those other things, or her rule or what would change the moment their lips touched.

And when they finally did touch, he kissed her softly. In unison, they both sighed against each other as though they were relieved for it to finally happen. 

**••• JJ •••**

The feeling of her warm plush lips against his rough ones was sweeter than he had ever imagined. He ignored the ache of his injury on his bottom lip, knowing she was kissing him back was easing away all of his pain.

As much as he didn't want to, he had to pull away. He had to look at her to make sure this was real and not just a dream and to make sure he wasn't going to push to far with his desires and ruin everything.

He looked down at her with bewilderment as she looked up at him through hooded eyes as though she was dreamily dazed from what had just happened. 

Kiara wet her bottom lip with the tip of her tongue before she drew her lip in between her teeth, her hands that were still placed against his cheeks tightened and held his face more firmly.

_Holy fuck..._

The sight sent a thrill through his body. She wanted more just as badly as he did. Without another second of hesitation, he crashed his lips against hers again, this time with more intensity.

Her fingers had moved to tangle in his hair. Their lips parted and moved together as the tips of their tongues brushed past one another. Kiara moaned softly, causing him to push his body against her more in response.

He had never experienced something so perfect and pleasurable in his life, though he had kissed many girls and was far from a virgin; it was the first time in his life he had felt or did something with passion.

But, all good things eventually come to an end. She released her grip from his hair and pushed against his shoulders so she could break away from their kiss. As she spoke, the sound of her voice made his heart sink.

"JJ...?" Kiara panted out.

He pulled away and opened his eyes to look at her once again, afraid he had let himself take it took far, but soon realized he wasn't the source of her concerned voice. 

A bright light swept through the tent, disappeared, then returned again. He leaned up further from her, pulling his eyebrows together In confusion. "What the hell?"

JJ turned around and slowly unzipped the tent enough so he could poke his head out. John B and Pope were still fast asleep. 

The bright light shone again, cutting through the trees. JJ followed the source and realized it was coming from behind the tent, in the direction of where the HMS Pogue was docked.

He unzipped the tent the rest of the way so that he could step out and get a better look without it obstructing his view. When his eyes landed on where the spotlight was coming, he felt like he was going to double forward and vomit.

"Fuck..."


	8. Red and Blue

**••• Kiara •••**

Kiara sat up quick as she watched JJ unzip the tent to peer outside; trying to figure out what, where, or whom this random bright light was coming from. Once again it swept across the tent, illuminating through the thin nylon walls.

Kie's chest was heaving from the heated moment they had just shared. Her fingers touched her lips which were still buzzing from the sensation they had felt only seconds before. This kiss was much different from the one she had shared months back with John B. That kiss had been lackluster, innocent, and friendly; at least to her anyways. 

The way JJ kissed her so gently at first and pulled away to look at her as if he couldn't believe what had just happened before kissing her again with such severity and need that it left her completely breathless; Kiara had never been kissed like that before.

She hoped that the light wasn't from Pope or John B messing with them. Kie wasn't sure what she would do if the others knew about what had just went down, she honestly wasn't sure what to think of it herself as her head swirled with a dreamy dizziness.

But as the seconds ticked by since his lips had parted from hers, the realization started to quickly sink in along with some guilt. She had now shared a very personal moment with two of the three most important people in her life, though what she just shared with JJ felt way more intimate. Knowing that this could put any kind of strain on their friendships scared her. It was the entire reason No Pogue On Pogue Macking was put into place by her when she became a permanent part of the pack. A rule that had now been broken twice. 

As JJ stepped outside of the tent, she could see John B had not shifted from his uncomfortable looking sleeping position and as some space was put in between herself and JJ, she came to the realization that Pope's loud snoring had not stopped since she first wandered over to the tent. 

She was somewhat relieved that the two of them hadn't been caught making out, but if it wasn't the other two Pogues shining the bright ass light, she didn't know who it could be. 

"Fuck..." JJ whispered.

By the sound of it, it wasn't good. As Kiara scooted herself forward to look up at JJ, his hands were grabbing onto the roots of his blonde hair as if he were in shock.

"What is it?" She asked, worried by the look of fear in his eyes.

"Fuck. Fuck Fuck." He was starting to get frantic and she grew more concerned.

Kiara quickly climbed out of the tent and stood so she could follow his line of sight. Her eyes grew wide as they landed on the source of where the light was coming. 

In the water, right next to where they had docked the HMS Pogue, was a vessel with red and blue lights, sweeping a spotlight through the trees. Right as it made another round and headed towards them, both JJ and Kiara squatted down behind the tent to hide from the light.

"JJ...what's happening? Why are the police here?"

He was now rubbing his hand over his mouth and his eyes were darting all around on the dirt ground as if he were trying to put a quick game plan together in his head.

**••• JJ •••**

JJ's thoughts were barking like hounds inside his head as he raced to put things together. The bloodied face of his father coming back to haunt him.

_Was he breathing when I was searching him?_

He couldn't recall. He had been so blinded by hatred and adrenaline when it happened that it never even crossed his mind to check. He was so angry in that moment that he wanted to do everything possible to piss his dad off, so he took the keys right out of his pocket and stole his truck, which he drove to the château then took off on The Pogue in the Marsh and came to the small island. He had made it entirely too easy to be tracked and found.

"JJ!" Kiara hissed, trying to get his attention.

He finally looked to her and swallowed hard. "I-I dunno...I beat the shit out of my dad, Kie. I knocked him out and took his keys without checking to see if he was even breathing...then I tore out of there in his truck."

In the distance they could hear the far away voices of the officers on the police boat. He knew time was running out before they made their way over to the campsite. He had to do something.

"Maybe they're not here for you...maybe this little island is a protected habitat and we just weren't aware? ...Maybe they saw our boat and decided to come check out what was going on?" She was starting to become just as frantic as he was.

He wanted to believe that. In that case they might get off with just a warning and be told to pack up and leave, or get a fine, but his gut was telling him that probably wasn't the case of why they were here as his fight-or-flight instinct started to kick in.

"Quick, wake up Pope." JJ instructed her. He stayed crouched down as he made his way over to John B, grabbing him and shaking him vigorously. 

"What? What is it?" John B groaned, rubbing the back of his neck and making a face as if it were sore to move.

"Pigs!" JJ said urgently, but tried to keep his voice low. "I gotta get out of here. I got a bad feeling they're after me."

John B looked around JJ's head, spotting the lights. He wasted no time bouncing out of the camping chair to squat down next to JJ. They glanced over to see Pope nearly fall out of the hammock as Kiara woke him and informed him on what was going on. Soon after he recovered himself, the four of them were grouped together, peering around the tent.

"What's the plan?" Pope whispered. "If get in trouble with the law I can kiss my college scholarship goodbye!"

JJ turned and placed his hand firmly on Pope's shoulder. "Listen to me, man. You guys will be alright...I gotta peg it."

Kiara scoffed and they all turned to look at her.

"You're Eighteen now, JJ! You can't just run from the police anymore without making things worse on yourself!" The look on her face made his chest ache. It was a look she had given him many times before in the past when she's been concerned or scared for him.

"I know, Kie. I know. I just...I need to buy myself some time." JJ nervously wet his lips. "Just sell. Sell. Sell. You guys waited for me but I told you something came up and I couldn't come on the camping trip...so you've been here since eleven this morning. You had no idea my dad's truck was at John B'a place... or that I got into it with my dad, or where the hell I am."

"I don't know, man..." John B spoke as Kiara shook her head, but JJ's fist pounded into the ground to show that he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"You gotta trust me here! I'm serious. I need you to do that for me." He spat out.

The group looked around at each other, all of their hearts pounding strenuously in their chests. Kie broke the silence with a sigh as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes as though she hated what she was about to say.

"Pogues don't let one Pogue go off on their own." Kie stated, opening her eyes again and starring intensely toward JJ. Although she didn't want him to run, he knew she would never agree to one Pogue journeying off alone. "We'll split up, two and two-"

"I'll go with him." Pope said quickly, cutting her off.

"No...no I'll go." Said Kiara and Pope's shoulders slumped. "If that story sells you'll be fine, Pope. My cars at the château anyway...plus I'm just as strong a swimmer as JJ."

"Yeah. 'If ' " Pope muttered under his breath.

"No, Kie." JJ said sternly. The last thing he wanted was for her to get caught up in this mess with him.

"Yes, JJ!" She said back just as sternly. "We're running out of time just bickering about this."

JJ knew just as well as Pope and John B, that once Kiara had her mind set on something there was no stopping her. He stared at her, pressing his lips together in a hard line before sighing. 

"Fine!" He groaned out in agitation. "Grab the beer cans and anything else illegal lying around and throw it in my bag so you guys won't get shit for it. Quick!" 

In a hurry everything was picked up and stuffed inside JJ's bag. He fumbled around making sure he had his clothes, keys and phone along with Kiara's. 

"Be safe." John B said, looking between him and Kie. 

"And update us ASAP." Pope added in before mumbling "...And say a prayer for my scholarship..."

The voices were slowly moving in closer. JJ and Kiara gave the Pogues being left behind a two finger salute before he grabbed her by the hand and took off running through the trees in the opposite direction of the police.

•••

They sprinted as fast as they could to put distance between them and the campsite. Looking over at Kiara, JJ was glad to have her by his side even though he hadn't wanted her to come with him solely because he wanted to protect her from any trouble.

He felt a twinge of guilt. He desperately hoped that years from now when she looked back on her Eighteenth birthday that she remembered all of the good things; being with The Pogues, the necklace, the kiss, and forgot about the bad; him being late, showing up bloodied, and running from the police. 

She must of felt his eyes on her because she glanced in his direction, sending him a reassuring smile as she squeezed his hand. Somehow it made him feel like everything was going to be okay.

JJ wasn't sure what his plan was once they got back to the main island, but he wasn't ready to be confronted by the police yet. He needed time to think about everything clearly and to figure out how he was going to approach the situation.

Of course he wasn't one hundred percent sure that they were after him, but he had a pretty good hunch about it. He always acted with his gut instinct and it's helped him get as far as he was today. 

When they finally reached the water at the opposite side of the island, Kiara let go of JJ's hand and wasted no time stripping off her tank top and shimming out of her shorts until she was only in her bikini. 

He knew there was no time for distractions, but he could never help himself around Kie. He'd seen her in a bikini hundreds of times and each time was like the first time. His eyes took a moment to roam over her exposed skin, swallowing hard. There was something even more enjoyable now when he looked at her like this, knowing how it felt to just kiss her.

She turned to look at him, catching his wandering eye, but she didn't scold him like she normally does. Instead, she shoved her clothes into his backpack then stepped forward until her feet were submerged in the water. 

"Ready?" Kie asked over her shoulder.


	9. Golden Shower

**••• KIARA •••**

Nerves we're bubbling up in Kiara's gut. She wasn't sure what she was getting herself into by running from the law with JJ. She desperately hoped that he was wrong about the cops coming for him, but she didn't know what lengths his father would go to to lash out at his son.

She was worried for him. He hadn't told her what the fist fight had been over this time; but JJ's face told a story that it was in no way pretty and she could only imagine how bad off his dad was, especially since JJ said he had beat Luke until he was unconscious. At least she prayed he had only been knocked out and not something worse. He had admitted to her only about fifteen minutes ago that he almost killed his father...and that he wanted to, but couldn't. 

He didn't help his cause one bit by taking Luke's truck either. She was attempting to put together the kind of trouble he would be in for and the results she came up with made her stomach turn: Aggravated Assault and Grand Theft Auto. If he happened to get caught running then they'd probably throw in Fleeing and Eluding.

He wouldn't be looking at Juvie anymore but rather a long sentence in the slammer. In her eyes he was innocent; because she knew his story and his relationship with his father, but the court of law wouldn't see this in the same light as her.

Looking over her shoulder, she watched as JJ moved forward into the dark water to stand by her. He glanced over to her and she could tell that he was nervous; he had probably been adding up the kind of trouble he might be in inside his head as well. 

He took one last look behind him and she could see the shaky breath leave his body. In that moment he appeared like a frightened and lost young boy. Kie stepped towards him, wanting to do whatever she could to protect him even though she knew there wasn't much she could do.

"Hey..." She said softly, reaching up and touching the side of his face to make him look back towards her. "We'll figure this out." She wasn't sure if it was true, but she felt the need to comfort him.

JJ smiled faintly at her, placing his hand on top of hers. "Yeah, I know...I have the survival instincts of a cockroach, remember?"

She returned the faint smile as he quoted the words she had spoke in the past about him. He had always seemed to find his way out of trouble, and she hoped he could do it again this time. 

JJ slung his bag off of his back and placed it on top of his head so he wouldn't get the contents wet before he spoke, nodding forward as he did. "Let's do this."

The only source of light the two of them had was from the bright moon that shone overhead and reflected against the surface of the water as they moved in, submerging themselves further into the cold liquid.

They pushed themselves through some tall grass, ignoring the itch of the weeds as they brushed passed their skin, making their way to a clear spot of water. The only problem with the open areas of the Marsh was that you could no longer touch the muddy bottom, which she could tell made it more difficult for JJ to swim while he had one hand clutching his backpack on top his head.

**••• JOHN B •••**

Taking another glance around the tent, John B could tell that there were two officers on the land. Their flashlights were weaving around the area in front of them as they walked forward towards the campsite. Tearing his eyes away from the cops he looked towards Pope, who was pacing nervously back and forth by the fire.

"Man, you gotta calm down." John B whispered towards him. "They see you like that and they're going to suspect something is up."

Pope stopped dead in his tracks and sat down quick on a camping chair, placing his head in his hands. "I know. I just worked so hard to earn my scholarship, and to get into a good school... and if I let my dad down again, he'll disown me. I'm the first in my family to go actually go to college, they're all counting on me to make something of myself."

John B stood and walked over to the chair across from him and sat down. "Nothings going to happen, man. We aren't doing anything wrong. Just act casual."

Pope attempted to pull himself together as the cops drew closer and soon they could hear their footsteps crunching against the twigs and brush along the ground as flashlights fell upon them.

"Kildare County PD!" A man's voice said aloud as he and another stepped into the clearing where the two Pogues were. "What are you boys doing out here on this island?" 

Pope and John B shared a look at each other before he spoke. "Just camping, sir. How can we help you?"

"Are you alone?" The other officer asked as they shined their lights on the boys. 

"Yes." John B responded as he raised his hand up to shield the light from his eyes.

The cops moved forward, their eyes glancing around the campsite to ensure that there were no others with them. The Pogues couldn't help but notice the way the officers each held a hand over their guns as they did so.

"I recognize you boys." The first man spoke before looking at John B. "Aren't you the son of John Routledge?" 

"That would be me." John B nodded, a sadness washing over him as the man spoke of his late father.

"Yeah...I know you two." The second officer spoke, looking towards Pope. "You all are usually a group of four troublemakers from The Cut. Where are your little friends?" 

Pope hesitated and John B cursed inside his head, staring at Pope and praying he would break out from his nerves and speak up.

After a long pause Pope finally broke his silence. "Our friend, Kiara, had to work today and we aren't sure about our other buddy. He told us this morning that something had come up, so neither of them could come with us."

"Would that buddy be JJ Maybank?" As the officer spoke, his partner walked around the campsite, peering inside the tent and looking inside their Yeti cooler. John B was thankful that JJ and Kie took all of their belongings along with the empty cans of beer.

"Yes, sir." The two Pogues said in unison. John B's heart was racing with fear for his friend. JJ's gut feelings must of been right about the police showing up for him.

The cop peeking and poking around spoke up then. "Awful lot of supplies you got for only two of you out here."

John B swallowed nervously before opening his mouth to speak. "Well, like he said, sir, JJ was supposed to come with us today. We had the boat already packed for the trip before he cancelled on us."

"Hmm." The officer gave John B a skeptical look. "You weren't aware that his father's truck was at your house then, along with Kiara Carrera's vehicle?"

"No, sir." He looked up at the police officer, attempting to paste a look of upmost honesty across his face even though they were lying through their teeth about everything. Though, he hadn't actually known about JJ having Luke's truck.

"I actually am borrowing Kiara's car." Pope spoke up. John B realized it looked fishy that they said she had to work when her car was at the château, and he was thankful Pope was covering for her. "Mine is being worked on by my uncle and she lent it to me today."

"If you don't mind me asking.." John B said as he looked towards the two men in uniform. He knew that JJ had yet again got into a fight with his father but he didn't know why the law would be after him.  
"What exactly is going on?"

**••• KIARA •••**

The swim was becoming tiresome and the water was a lot colder from the night air than it had been earlier that morning when they were swimming and having fun. 

They were heading in the direction of the château. It wasn't too far out from the island they had been camping on, but it definitely felt a lot farther away without a boat. Kiara wasn't entirely sure that it was a good idea to go back there.

"Don't you think they might be at John B's place too?" She asked.

"Maybe." He breathed out. She could tell he was growing tired from only using one arm to swim, but land was a was away in the distance and it would be a bit before they reached it. "We need a vehicle though, so we have to check it out before making another plan."

She knew he was right. The château sat miles out from anything else and it would take them all night and through the day to make it anywhere on foot without her car.

She wondered what other plans he had brewing inside his head or how long he was going to try and run away from his problems. She knew he couldn't hide forever if they were after him, and she only grew more and more concerned. 

•••

They were about halfway to making it to land when she noticed JJ starting to slack off beside her. Kiara knew using only one arm was starting to get to him, even thought he would occasionally switch between the two. He had attempted to balance his back pack on top of his head while he used two arms to stroke forward, but it kept teetering forward and backwards towards the water and he didn't want to chance getting their phones wet. Kie stopped and turned in the water to face him.

"Let me carry the bag." She spoke loudly out to him from the distance she had put between them.

"I'm alright." He insisted to her but she rolled her eyes. 

"You usually swim laps around me and now you can't even keep up. Let me carry the damn thing."

"Really, Kie, it's-"

"Have I ever told you how stubborn you are?" She cut him off, swimming diagonally towards him. As she started to close in the distance, she felt something brush past her abdomen.

"I'm stubborn?" He half laughed. "You are-"

"SHIT!" She yelled out. Kie instantly started swimming backwards, her arms causing big splashes as she tried to get away. "Ow! Ow! Ow!"

A sharp stinging sensation covered the surface of her skin like a hundred bee stings, sending a blaze of hot fire to her flesh. She recognized immediately what had caused the source of her pain.

"The fuck happened?" JJ asked, trying to move himself fast towards her.

"Shit!" She hissed out again from the intense pain. "Don't swim there! I just ran into a jellyfish!"

She glared towards him as he started to breathlessly laugh, changing his course to move around the area where she had her encounter. "I told you not to worry about me carrying the bag."

"Shut up, JJ! It fucking hurts." 

He was still snickering as he spoke again. "I-I'm s-sorry." If she wasn't in so much pain she would be glad to see him laugh, but now it only irritated her. "You good, Kie?"

**••• JJ •••**

When they finally reached the land, Kiara ran out of the water so she could examine the wound along her stomach. JJ trudged out behind her and dropped his book bag to the ground eagerly before moving beside her and looking down at her sting. Multiple long, red welts were slashed along her flesh from where the tentacles had grazed her.

"Damn." JJ spoke, leaning down to inspect it better. "It got you good, didn't it?"

"Fuck yeah it did." She whined. He noticed that she was shivering and he wasn't sure if it was from the pain or the wind against her wet body.

He thought for a moment. "Lie down." He instructed her, pointing towards the ground.

"What?" She asked, raising a quizzical brow at him. "Why?"

JJ knew she wasn't going to like the answer but it was the only thing he knew to do for her to feel relief from the pain of her jellyfish sting. He honestly wasn't even sure if it worked or if it was just a myth. As comical as her reaction from the sting had been, he didn't want her to suffer.

"Ya know...they say a golden shower will ease the pain." He popped open the button of his shorts and his fingers were grabbing onto his zipper as she yelled out.

"Noooo....no I don't think so!" She waved her hand towards him to stop and he noticed she bit down hard on her lip as her eyebrow furrowed. This time she was doing it from the pain and not like she had when he had kissed her. "Hell no."

"What? It's supposed to help the sting and pull out the toxins or some shit." He shrugged. From the look on her face he could tell that the feeling of her wound was becoming excruciating as the wind blew against it. Kie was a strong girl when it came to cuts and scrapes, but it seemed this was making her break. After all, a sting from a jelly can inject the body with thousands of microscope barbed stingers. "You tended to my injuries now let me tend to yours."

"No way in hell are you going to piss on me, Maybank." She muttered, giving him a look that was full of complete sass. He couldn't deny that he loved a sassy Kiara. "Nope. Nu-uh. Not going to happen."

"Who's stubborn again?" He egged her on with a smirk. "Kie, you don't even know what kind stung you or how long it will be before you can get proper treatment. I was only trying only trying to help. But fine..." He said, buttoning his shorts back up. He didn't want to have to pee on her, he just wanted to help her feel better. 

He picked up his bag from the ground and brushed past her and noticed after a few strides that she wasn't walking next to him. He glanced over his shoulder to see her still standing there, battling an internal struggle.

"Ugh!" She whined out again. "Fine..fine!" She hesitated for a few beats before she laid down on the ground and covered her face with her hands. "Just...just make it quick, okay?"

He couldn't help but chuckle at her. It was funny how she was able to make him temporarily forget what was really going on. He dropped his bag to the ground and walked back towards her, unbuttoning his shorts once again and unzipping them.

He stood over her, his eyes unable to stop from taking a moment to sweep her body and take in the beauty of it in the moonlight. He positioned himself before he spoke. "You ready?"

"No!! Just get it over with, please." She whimpered, hands still clamped firmly over her face so she didn't have to watch. He almost felt bad as he started to trickle down onto her flesh.

"Ugh!" She exclaimed as his urine hit her. "God, it's so fucking warm!"

"Sorry, Kie." He took a moment to look away from his aim to glance at her covered face just as she moved her fingers to peak out an eye, catching her looking towards his partially exposed dick. "Hey! My eyes are up here."

Her fingers quickly clasped back over her eyes and he chuckled to himself again as she groaned out in agitation. "I wasn't looking at that, you perv."

"Sure you wasn't." He finished shortly after and pulled up his zipper before buttoning his shorts back. "Feel any better?"

She leaned up, a look of disgust crossing her perfect features as she scrunched up her nose. "Yeah...yeah a little. Ughhh, yuck!...Thanks, I guess."

He reached out his hand to her, pulling her back up into her feet as she took it. "You're welcome...but you were totally looking at my dick."

She gave him a forceful shove against the shoulder. "You are unbelievable, JJ! Truly." He could tell she was in no joking mood.

"Geesh. Someone's a little touchy." He muttered but was still giving her a smile. Kiara sighed, rubbing her face. 

"I'm sorry." Kie sighed and moved her hands to tousle with her wet curls. "That sting sucked, you peeing on me was gross and honestly...I'm terrified about what's going to happen to you."

He nodded his head. "I know, Kie."

"I know you've worked your magic and gotten out of trouble in the past but...I just don't know what I would do if something really bad happened to you, J. And we are fleeing from the police! I'm worried...I'm worried and I'm covered in piss. Your piss!"

His smile faded from his face as she grew more serious and reminded him of the situation. She dropped her hand from her hair and looked down towards her feet.

JJ reached out and took her chin between his foreigner and thumb, angling her face back up so he could look at her just like he had when they almost kissed before being interrupted by Pope and John B. He held it firmly in his grip as she stared up at him with those big brown eyes that really did something to him. 

"I'm scared too, Kie." He whispered as his eyes glanced over her face, taking a few moment of just observing her before he decided to ask "Do you want to know why I fought my dad?"

She nodded her head in his grip.

"Your necklace. He stole it from me and pawned it off. He came after me for hiding it in my mom's room...and I lashed back at him for taking something I worked to get...for someone that I love."

She pulled her eyebrows together as she whispered back to him, clearly not expecting for him to say that. "What?"

"I'm in love with you, Kiara. Isn't it obvious?" He sucked in his breath after he admitted it to her, watching her closely to see how she would respond. Her eyes seemed to glimmer in the light that shone from the moon above.

Kiara blinked a couple of times like she didn’t know what to say. “You realize you’re breaking this news to me right after you just took a piss on me...?” 

He felt sort of relived at her comment and how she smiled softly at him after she said it and chuckled. He returned the gesture. “Hey, you know me. Captain of bad timing.” 

The soft hum of a boat made them tear their eyes away from each other and turn to look at the water. He was really starting to get annoyed with the fact that every time he shared a moment with Kie, the universe seemed to stop it abruptly as if it weren't meant to happen. Their eyes fell upon the police boat they assumed to be the same as the one they saw on the island.

"Shit!" JJ muttered, grabbing Kie and pulling her down with him to hide behind a fallen tree. 

After a few seconds he leaned back up to peer over the log to watch as the vessel passed by them. He suddenly felt Kie tug on his arm and he turned to look at her but before he could see much of her, she leaned herself up and pushed her lips against his.


	10. A Pogue and The Pigs

**••• KIARA •••**

Kiara could tell that JJ was caught off guard by her lips crashing into his. His body had stiffened for a moment but as soon as the realization washed over him, she could feel him ease up and melt into the kiss, his hands instantly gripping onto her.

She honestly couldn't help herself. As much as she had been confused and feeling a tinge of guilt for kissing him earlier that night, hearing him tell her that he loved her had made her feel a way she hadn't ever felt before. All of that mixed with the rush and fear of fleeing the police made her want to have his lips upon hers again, just in case she wouldn't be able to feel it again.

The way he kissed her back sent electricity through her, making her body ache for more. She could count the amount of boys she had kissed on one hand, and none of them seemed to feel like they fit perfectly into her the way JJ did. He moved his hand to her shoulder and shoved her down gently against the grass, never once leaving her lips as he did so.

It was the perfect distraction to fade away from their current situation. They both needed a brief break from the anxiety of it after spending the past hour with heads whirling with possibilities of what could happen to him, though pulling their full focus away from it probably wasn't smart, either. It was clear in that moment that neither of them cared.

Kiara slithered her arms around JJ, attempting to pull him down more to her. He eagerly obliged, causing her to whimper softly from how good it felt to have him close against her and also from the irritation it caused the jellyfish sting on her stomach. 

After a few heated moments, he parted from her mouth, his lips hungrily kissing down her jaw, leaving a trail of hot fire upon her skin from the feeling. Kie's bent knee pushed against his side as butterflies fluttered in her lower stomach and a feeling between her thighs began to pool. His hand that wasn't clutching against the side of her face instantly found her knee, slowly feeling it's way up her thigh as he kissed the soft spot below her ear, causing her to shudder.

**••• JJ •••**

The day hadn't felt real to him in the least. It had become both the best and possibly the worst day of his life. For two years he had wanted to have Kiara exactly where he had her now; to know what it's like to kiss her and feel her. Unfortunately for him it had to happen at the same time he was running the chance of being charged as an adult if the police were truly after him.

There was a bit of satisfaction he felt knowing that between John B, Pope and himself, he was the one that was kissing her and that she had just initiated another kiss after he confessed his love to her, for that matter. He wasn't sure what he would of done if either of them had beat him to it and won her over, though it was unbeknownst to him that he wasn't the first in the group to kiss Kiara.

Her skin was smooth to the touch against his palm as he glided it up her thigh before stopping and firmly gripping the side of her hip against the damp strings of her bathing suit. It was driving him crazy that she was hardly clothed, only her thin bikini keeping him from seeing all of her.

JJ wasn't sure how far she was willing to let him go, but the soft sounds she made as he kissed down her neck was intoxicating and turning him on even more than he already was. Her body language reading to him that she wanted the same thing he did.

He made his way back to her mouth, both of their lips parting to allow their tongues to softly touch one another. He wanted more of her badly. It wasn't to just fuck her like he had with women in his past, but he wanted to make her feel good and to show her in a way that words couldn't how in love with her he was.

As she clutched onto the hair against the nape of JJ's neck, the kiss grew more passionate. He started to fiddle with the strings tied together at the side of her hip, slowly tugging until the knot was untied and the right side of her bikini was undone. His fingers dropped the strings and began to brush softly against her lower abdomen, slowly sweeping under the hem of her loosened bikini bottom.

Kiara moved her head back a bit to break apart from his lips and he could hear her breath catch. JJ leaned his forehead down against hers and opened his eyes to watch her. After a moment hers fluttered open to meet his as the thumb of the hand still holding onto her face gently stroked her cheek.

The look in her eyes were begging him not to stop and he could almost sing aloud from the joy it brought him. His right hand dipped down lower between her thighs and he admired the way her eyes scrunched closed as she bit her bottom lip nervously.

JJ leaned in and softly placed a kiss against the corner of her mouth, cheek, tip of of her nose and chin as his right hand began to rub against her slickened womanhood - earning a moan from her.

"Wait.." Kiara panted out, licking her lips as she stared up at him. "Wait."

As much as he didn't want to, JJ slowly pulled his hand away from her. As he observed her she looked riddled with nerves. 

"Have you never been touched before?" He asked her quietly, the hand on her cheek moving up to brush her hair from her face.

Kiara averted his eyes and looked towards the direction of the Marsh. "No..." She shook her head. "No, I'm still a virgin..."

JJ couldn't deny that he was glad to hear that she was, not that it would of mattered to him if she wasn't. "Hey...that's okay. You don't have to be ashamed."

She met his eyes again, leaning her head up to place a quick peck to his lips before she spoke. "We should uh...we should probably get going."

He knew she was right, as much as he didn't want her to be. Though time seemed to stop as they were sharing that moment, he knew there was a bigger problem brewing in reality that needed to be faced and dealt with. 

JJ leaned back onto his heels before grabbing the strings of her bikini and tiring them back together. He then stood and helped her get back onto her feet. He couldn't help but notice the red flush in her cheeks and how she bashfully looked up at him.

Snagging his bag, he unzipped it and handed Kiara her tank top and shorts for her to put back on over her bathing suit, along with the keys to her car before he put his own shirt back onto his torso. He then pulled on his socks and boots as Kiara slid her feet back into her sandals.

•••

After a bit of walking they had finally reached the backside of château. At this point the sky was beginning to grow lighter as the morning sun started to make its journey up into the sky. They were quickly losing the advantage of being able to hide in the dark.

JJ and Kiara moved to press themselves against the siding of John B's home. He couldn't deny that he was terrified to see what would be on the other side of the building where the driveway was; where their get away vehicle sat. 

JJ slowly made his way to the edge of the house. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, saying a small prayer to himself even though he wasn't very religious. He had lost his faith somewhere along the way of being abused, but he called out above anyways considering he needed all the luck he could get right now.

He finally built up the courage to peer around the side of the building and the sight before him was something he didn't want to see. Two police cruisers sat in the driveway with their lights on along with his father's truck and Kiara's car. He cursed under his breath as Kie peeked her head around to look. 

Even though he had already figured the police boat had showed up at the island for him due to the gut feeling he had, this confirmed that they were, in fact, after him. 

The cruisers appeared to be empty and they didn't see any officers standing around, but they knew they were close. JJ looked back at Kie, her face was full of fear. He leaned down to whisper into her ear. "Maybe they are down at the dock. We can inch our way over there cautiously and get into your car."

"JJ...I don't know if that's a good idea. They will see my car is gone and know you got away." She whispered back to him.

"What other choice do we have?" He asked, but he knew what the answer was. The other choice was to just make things easier on himself and confront the police and let them do whatever they had came here to do.

Kiara sighed. He knew she trusted him and would do whatever it took to help him, even if she didn't agree with it. As she nodded her head, they could suddenly hear voices behind them as if officers were about to round the building. JJ snatched her arm and pulled her around the edge of the château.

They stayed low as they moved forward, both of their eyes darting around to look for any other cops, but moving quickly so the officers behind them wouldn't catch them. The coast in front of them appeared clear so they made a mad dash to Kiara's car.

Kie pulled her keys out from her pocket and nervously fumbled with them. He remembered that her key fob was broken and that she could no longer unlock her car with a click of the bottom, she had to manually insert her key into the door to do it. 

JJ's leg was bouncing with anticipation as he waited for her to unlock the door. He glanced over to see the two officers round the building, causing him to instinctively duck lower and push himself against the side of Kiara's car in attempts to hide himself. The officers stopped at the corner but did not look towards them, the two men in uniform appeared to be in deep conversation.

JJ peeked his head up around her hood and hissed at her. "Kie!" He could tell her hands were shaking, and he was regretting giving her the keys rather than just keeping them for himself so he could drive. 

"Shit!" She hissed back as the keys slipped her fingers and dropped to the ground. With the amount of things she had on her key ring, it made a loud metal clacking sound as they dropped to the gravel below.

"Oh fuck." JJ groaned, moving his eyes from her to look towards the two men in uniform. To his dismay, the sound of her keys had been loud enough to catch their attention. 

"Hey!" One man yelled and in an instant, the two officers pulled their guns from their holsters and had them aimed right towards Kiara and JJ. "Put your hands up!"

"Okay! Okay!" JJ spoke allowed, standing up straight and raising his hands into their air with defeat. He could see Kie do the same from the corner of his eye. Many emotions crashed into him like a tsunami as he stared straight ahead into the barrel of the pistol pointed at him. The officers began moving forward towards him.

JJ had the same feeling he did when he had first seen the police boat on the island; the feeling as though he could double over and vomit. If he had any food in his stomach at the time, he probably would of.

Kie frantically whispered to him from the other side of the car. "I'm so sorry, JJ. I fucked up, I'm sorry!" Though he didn't tear his eyes away from the gun being pointed at him, he could tell by the sound of her voice that she was crying.

The police officers quickly closed in the space to JJ, one of them spoke into the walkie talkie pinned against his chest to inform other law enforcement that they had him.

He felt frozen as they reached him. One officer gripped ahold of his arms and pinned them behind his back as he spoke aloud to him.

"JJ Maybank, you are under arrest for the Attempted Murder of Luke Maybank and for the Grand Theft Auto of his of vehicle. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you?"

"Attempted Murder!?" Kiara shrieked out as JJ stared at the officer with widened eyes as what he said sunk in.

The world around JJ became nothing but a blur of faces and blue and red lights. The voices drowned out into a low hum. The only sound he could hear clearly was his heartbeat thudding loudly in his eardrums. Nothing felt real as an overwhelming and sickening sense of fear struck through him. He hardly even noticed the force of cold, hard metal being clasped down tight around his wrists as they put him in handcuffs. 

JJ didn't think he could hate his father anymore than he already did. If he would of known that all of this was going to happen and he was going to go to jail, he found himself thinking that maybe he should of just went through with the deed of driving the screwdriver through his dads skull when he had the chance. 

He figured his own life was over anyways. At the young age of Eighteen, he would be locked away and spend years upon years behind bars. His Pogue life, and life as he knew it in general, would never be the same. 

JJ wondered how things would of happened if he had done them differently. What paths he should of chosen that wouldn't of led to the one he was on now. Though, he couldn't find himself to regret getting Kiara the necklace. He figured that he would have inevitably ended up in this position because of his dad, necklace or no necklace. There would of been something else, another argument, another fist fight.

Suddenly reality washed back over him as Kiara's panicked voice pulled him from his state of shock. He blinked rapidly as things came into focus once again; the police lights bright and nearly blinding as they flashed before him, the sounds suddenly becoming louder and audible. 

"STOP!" Kiara cried out. He turned his head to look at her. She was struggling to get to him, but the other officer was holding her back. "What are you doing!? He's innocent!"

"Ma'am, you need to calm down!" The cop growled to her, yanking her back so she couldn't break free.

"Let. Go. Of. Me!" She yelled out, flailing in the officer's clutch. 

"I recommend you stop right now." The man warned her. JJ could see the officer tightening his grip around her arms and if he wasn't in this situation, the cops forcefulness with her would have severely pissed JJ off.

"NO!" She cried out again. JJ could see the tears steaming down her face and he wasn't sure if his heart could sink any lower into the pit of his stomach than it already was. "It's his dad you want! Please listen to me! Please!"

JJ felt a hard nudge being delivered to the center of his back before the officer beside him firmly grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the police cruiser, but JJ couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight of Kiara as he moved forward.

The cop who was holding her back voice grew louder and more stern. "Do you want to go with him, young lady? You're riding a thin line here."

Kiara was only growing more frantic against the man and JJ knew the outcome for her was going to become a whole lot worse if she didn't stop. He didn't need her to ruin her life and go to jail along side with him, so he stopped moving forward in his tracks. 

"Kie!" He yelled to her, but she didn't hear him. She was still attempting to break away from the grip of the man in uniform beside her.

The officer that had a hold of JJ gave him a shove so he would start moving again, but he kept his feet firmly planted as he stared at Kiara. He was growing more concerned for her than he was for himself. He yelled louder and firmer this time. "KIARA!"

This stole her full attention. Her head whipped around to stare at JJ. Her long curls fell into her face as she did so, but he could still see her wide eyes glazed over with crocodile tears and her quivering lip.

"It's okay." He said more softly, pushing his lips into a hard line and nodding his head to try and reassure her and himself. He had no idea if what he was saying was the truth, but he had to get her to calm down before she got herself into serious trouble. "It's going to be okay."

In that moment she stopping struggling against the police officer. JJ watched as her eyebrows pulled tightly together and a silent sob rattled through her chest. It was breaking his heart to watch her break apart over him.

The man escorting JJ delivered a harder shove to his back. "Move!" He directed and JJ hesitated only a moment longer before he unwilling obliged. 

He gave Kiara another nod along with a weak smile before repeating himself again, whispering the words. "It's okay." 

He finally tore his eyes away from hers and looked onward towards where he was being lead; the back door to the police cruiser. 

As they reached the door, the officer opened it before placing a hand on top of JJ's head and shoving him down into the seat then shut it behind him. JJ shifted around, his cuffed wrists uncomfortable behind his back as they pressed against the seat. He leaned his head back against the headrest, swallowing hard as he scrunched his eyes closed.

**••• KIARA •••**

Kiara had never felt so heartbroken, terrified and sick in her entire life. Watching her best friend being wrongfully placed under arrest was the most horrifying thing to experience. 

She looked towards the cop cars in shock after the officer had let her go. The men in uniform got back into their vehicles as she stood there feeling empty, her body trembling with anxiety. Kie almost couldn't believe what was happening, and she desperately hoped this was just some kind of sick and twisted dream she was experiencing.

She knew that wasn't the case, though. This was stone cold reality. As everything started to sink in to her again, she let out a sob that shook violently through her body. She started to move forward towards the cruiser JJ was in, her feet feeling as thought they weighed a hundred tons - but she knew she had to see him one more time, because she didn't know when she would be able to look into his eyes again.

She pushed though the heaviness she felt and sprinted forward as fast as she could, closing in the space to the vehicle. As soon as she approached the back window where he sat, she placed her palm flat against the window and leaned down so she could see better through the tint to see JJ.

She met his terrified eyes through the glass and she wished nothing more than to be able to yank open the door and steal him away, to return to the time when they were alone in the tent before they even had an inkling about what was to come.

She placed her forehead against the cold glass as he leaned towards the window to see her better. Just as the cruiser was about to move, she spoke loud enough in hopes that he could hear her.

"I love you!"


	11. Bars

**••• KIARA •••**

The three words fumbled out of Kiara's mouth in the moment of sheer panic. She hadn't meant to speak them out loud as they flashed past her mind, the adrenaline she felt must have urged them out of her. For a long time JJ had stirred something inside of her that she could not explain, nor did she ever want to let bubble over.

JJ always pushed her, challenged her, and drove her mad. There was no denying that he was a loose cannon; erratic, feisty and short tempered. He often struggled with his own violent behavior that was no doubt handed down from his long line of alcoholic, drug-abusing, vendetta-holding family tree. JJ would hardly ever think before he acted, which often left him as a liability to the group, but there was no doubt that he was brave and loyal to a fault; always looking out for his Pogues and willing to defend them at any turn.

There was a thrill about JJ that always kept Kiara on her toes. There was a sadness that she always wanted to take away. There was something about how protective he was over the Pogues that was inspiring.

She meant what she said as she spoke the words aloud, even if she hadn't meant to; Kiara loved all three of the Pogues - but her feelings for JJ were different and more difficult to understand than what she felt for Pope or John B. 

Perhaps she had said "I love you." because he was being arrested. Perhaps it was because he had truly done something special for birthday and it had made her open her eyes to things she had kept buried deep inside for two years, or perhaps it was the shrooms that had opened her mind and made her see things more clearly, she really wasn't sure. 

But considering that he was one of her best friends, being romantically involved with him had never been ideal.

None of those things mattered at that moment. Her sole focus was on what was happening right in front of her eyes and what she was feeling in that instant.

The pot she felt, filled with full of emotions she had for JJ, had begun to boil red hot that day and now as she stared at him in the back of a cop car, the contents were bubbling up and spilling over the surface, rushing down over her.

Hurt. Loss. Anger. Confusion...and Love.

JJ was being torn away from her after all that had happened between the two of them in the past twenty hours. It would of been just as painful to watch happen if they hadn't shared the moments they had in that time frame, but she couldn't deny there was something different now they had kissed so passionately and confessed their love for one another.

Through the glass, she could see some terror melt away from JJ's eyes as they looked back and forth between her own in bewilderment. The look was similar to the one he wore after he kissed her for the first time, as though he couldn't believe what had just happened, but there seemed to be even more awe in his eyes now from her words. Kiara didn't think her stomach could twist any further into a knot as his baby blues told her a story that he was just a hurt man who had never in his life been loved. The three words she had spoke allowed regarding to him must have been foreign and shocking for him to hear. 

He was a man who had never experienced love, who pushed away and used women before they got to close to him. Now he was being wrongfully accused by his own father, the person that was supposed to love him unconditionally since the day he was born.

The palm she had pushed flat against the window started to curve into a fist on the glass. "I'll fight to save you, JJ" She said so quietly that she wasn't even sure if he could heard her. "Pogue Promise." 

It was a ridiculous phrase, 'Pogue Promise.', but it was something that had caught on with the group when one of them truly meant something. The phrase had started out as just one of them jokingly saying it one day and somehow it stuck. It wasn't a promise to be taken lightly. Any time one of them slapped the word Pogue in front of a promise, they had to hold up their end of whatever deal.

JJ must of heard her, because he gave her another weak smile as he nodded his head. A moment later her heart shattered into a million tiny pieces when the police cruiser moved forward, causing her to step back and her hand to fall away from the window; the sight of him fading away as the vehicle moved down John B's driveway.

Kiara ran towards him for a few strides, as if it would make any difference, but it was no use. She finally gave up and sunk down to her knees in defeat, not caring about the gravel stones being shoved into her knee caps. She blinked away the haziness the tears were causing her eyes, letting their warm trail roll down over her cheeks, saltiness causing irritation to her skin all while the tail lights began to fade away in the distance. 

_Attempted Murder._

The words rang in her ears over and over. Any hope of him getting out of this was quickly draining from her. The charge was even more serious than she had assumed it would be. Though JJ had admitted to her that he wanted to kill Luke, he also said that Luke came after him first - that he reacted in self defense against his dad. It had always been in self defense, Kie knew that. JJ never picked the fights with his father himself. 

Kiara brought her hands up to her eyes and dug her palms into them, trying to calm her rapid breathing as she did so. It was difficult to do, because she felt as though she was hyperventilating and unable to feel the lung fulls of air she was taking in.

After a few long moments went by she gave up in trying to calm herself down. It was useless. The reality of what just happened, and knowing the group was now one Pogue short, distraught her. When Kie moved her hands away from her face, her line of vision fell upon Luke's truck sitting next to her in the drive way, the sight of it made her nostrils flare.

Kiara pushed herself off of the ground, unable to notice the sharp pebbles that stuck into the flesh covering her knees, her anger only allowing her to focus in on one thing.

She strode forward towards JJ's father's vehicle. The overwhelming and intense rage she was experiencing towards it felt unfamiliar to her. Kie's raised fists made solid contacts with the metal frame of his truck. She lashed out on it, kicking and punching it with all she could muster, but it was a sturdily made old truck and everything she was doing was causing more damage to her body than it was to the vehicle. 

Kie didn't stop until her toes - which were bare in only her flip flops, felt stubbed and the skin over her knuckles grew red from irritation. She yelled out in frustration and shook her head in attempts to pull herself out of this feeling, starring at the unmarked truck in disbelief. She didn't think it was possible to feel so much hatred for one person or how someone could be so cruel as to ruin their son's life.

Kie forced her eyes away from Luke's truck, holding her sore fists close to her chest as a sickening numbness washed through her body. She was unsure of what to do or where to go from here. As she desperately looked around, her line of sight happened upon JJ's book bag where it laid on the ground beside her car.

She made her way over to it and started to rummage through the contents, pushing around empty, crushed beer cans in search of her cell phone. When she finally located it, she cursed allowed as her screen failed to come to life. It was dead.

Kiara tossed her cell against the ground hard in agitation, figuring her otter box case was strong enough to deal with the force of the blow, but not giving two shits in that moment if it hadn't been. She continued to shift through JJ's bag until she came across his phone. As she pulled it out with shaking hands, she begged for it's screen to light up, and when it did it was dim. The top right corner of his screen reading 4%.

She wizzed past his passcode, knowing JJ entirely too well and being able to figure it out in almost an instant. She made her way to his recent contacts and found John B's first, dialing his number instantly.

"Pick up. Please, pick up." She whispered desperately into the phone as it rang in her ear. After what felt like an eternity, the other line finally answered.

"JJ!" John B exclaimed into the phone, sounding almost relieved. "Are you okay? You were right, man! They're after yo-"

"John B!" Kiara cried out softly into the receiver. "They got him, John B. They took him away."

Kiara sunk back down onto the driveway, resting her back against the front tire of her car and dropping her face down into her hand that wasn't clutching onto JJ's phone.

"God damnit!" He shouted on the other end, she could hear something slamming along with Pope talking frantically but she couldn't make it out. After a few seconds he spoke again. "Where are you, Kie?"

"The château." She whispered, sniffling a few times before she could continue on. "It's really really bad, John B...They charged him with Attempted Murder... and Grand Theft Auto."

"What!? No no no..." He groaned into the phone and Kiara closed her eyes, she was surprised she had any tears left to cry as they slipped out passed her eyelashes. It was obvious by the sounds she heard from the two guys on the other end of the phone, that this news was devastating to all the Pogues.

Suddenly the line went quiet and she figured JJ's cell had died but after a few long seconds she heard shuffling and Pope's voice came though the speaker. "We can't let this happen to him."

"What are we going to do, Pope?" She asked. If anyone would be able to think a way out of this for JJ, Pope's brain would be the one to do it.

"I don't know, Kie." He admitted. Kiara sighed and dropped her hand away from her face, starring up at the morning sky as if it would give her all the answers. "We'll be there soon, okay?" He said softly, trying to comfort her with his soothing tone. "We're packing up everyth-"

This time JJ's phone actually died and she let it drop down beside her in the gravel.

**••• JJ •••**

_She loves me too._

As if that should be the thing JJ was focusing in on, but he couldn't stop thinking about it as he watched her disappear out the back window of the cop car. He wondered desperately why his luck always seemed to run short on him. He had figured that eventually in his life he would find himself behind bars one way or another, but how sick of a joke was life playing on him to make it the day he made Kiara fall in love with him, or at least opened her eyes to it. He wasn't shocked that something had ruined their moment once again, life had never treated him fairly and at this point he was growing used to it. He knew he wasn't meant to be happy. 

He slowly turned back around in his seat to face the front of the vehicle, reality settling in again without Kie there in front of him. He eyed the side profile of the officer who was driving the cruiser. He was a burly man, but appeared twice JJ's age. The horseshoe mustache he styled on his face was obnoxious and the way he kept glancing at JJ in the review mirror with a look as though he was proud of himself got under JJ's skin.

_Douche Bag._

"You and Hoffman got the fugitive?" A voice came from the walkie talkie pinned to chest of his uniform. The words came out modulated as they mixed with static from the line.

"Hell yeah, we found the bastard. He basically gave himself away." The amusement in the man's voice only pissed JJ off more. "He's in my cruiser now, we are heading your way."

"Atta boy, Clag!" The other voice enthused. "I'm buying a round of drinks for you boys tonight."

JJ attempted to ignore the conversation but it was hard to do. The pigs were going to be celebrating tonight over arresting him while he was going to become a prisoner. The thought was sickening.

JJ wasn't sure if there was going to be anyway out of this for him and it was terrifying to think about. The charges they put on him weren't something the Court of Law would take lightly, and he knew they weren't going to believe some eighteen year old who had already been in trouble multiple times with the law before he even turned legal age. He had already dealt with Unlawful Discharge of a Firearm, Trespassing on Private Property and Felony Destruction of Property over the past couple of years. Attempted Murder and Grand Theft Auto along with a past like that would surely land him a long and hefty sentence. 

He swore that every second that ticked by, his hate for the man who gave him life grew stronger. After all, he was in this mess because of him. 

_Bastard. He only did this to me because I finally had enough of his shit and showed him what I'm capable of...that I'm not just a boy anymore that's scared of him._

He was shocked the cops even believed what Luke had to say against him, considering the man had his fair share of stirring up trouble with the police. 

JJ wondered about what it would of been like to have a loving relationship with his father. To have the kind of bond that John B and Big John had had. He wouldn't of been in this situation if that were the case, but life was still sick, twisted and down right unfair to anyone because it even takes happiness away from those like John B and his father. 

•••

They eventually pulled into the Kildare County Police Department and JJ stared at the foreboding building with a grim expression. He was not prepared for this, and he didn't think he ever could be. He knew that once he stepped through the doors of that station, he would be seeing nothing but bars for a long long time.

The officer he now knew as Clag got out of the drivers seat and made his way around to open the back door. He reached in and snagged JJ, forcing him to his feet with a firm fist clamped around his right arm.

"Let's go." Clag growled out, yanking hard against JJ to get him to move, damn near dragging him along beside him.

"Look...look man I can walk myself!" JJ sputtered out, annoyed with the unnecessary force the officer was using as he directed him along the parking lot to the front door of the station. "I got legs, can't you see that, man?"

"Shut up, boy!" Clag barked at JJ as he increased the pressure on his arm. The term the man used only angered JJ more deeply. It was the term his father always called him, rather than his actual name. 

Once inside, JJ was instantly placed before a camera. He stared blankly into the lens as they snapped his self portrait, thinking that if his hands weren't cuffed behind his back he would of surly flipped the bird for his mugshot.

Next, Clag removed the cuffs from his wrist. He instantly felt the relief from the pressure they had applied down onto them. Just as he was about to rub away the soreness, his hands were snatched by another officer and his fingers were guided into some ink before being stamped down onto paper. 

As this was happening, a third person in uniform was speaking to him. "You are being placed into holding for the charges that have been placed against you. Those charges being Attempted Murder against Luke Maybank as well as Grand Theft Auto of Luke Maybank's vehicle..."

_Yeah, I got it the first time. Fuck._

"...You will be held here until your court hearing. A date will be given to you once it is set. You have the right to speak to an attorney and will be given the opportunity to do so in time."

He knew damn well that he couldn't afford an attorney. He figured he was screwed with whatever one he would be provided with since he didn't have the cash to get one who could fight for him fairly and try to get him out of this mess.

After some more discussion they finally finished with their protocol requirements. JJ was then led down a hallway that eventually turned into rows of holding cells. As he walked past them, he tried to avoid the eyes of the prisoners who watched him go by. They spoke out snide remarks to him, but he paid no attention because his head was rattling with too much noise coming from his own mind.

Clag stopped walking in front of an empty cell. JJ let out a deep breath as he stared into the small, claustrophobic looking space. All the walls except for the front were brick, painted an obnoxiously bright white. Inside there was nothing but a single cot. 

The officer unhooked his keyring from his hip and unlocked the barred cell door before signaling JJ to step inside. He moved forward slowly, rubbing his sore wrists as he did so. Once inside, the door was shut and locked behind him. He instantly felt as though he was a caged animal and as he turned around to face Clag through the bars, the man wore a smile as though he were a kid at the zoo looking in on his favorite exhibit.

Once Clag had walked away and his foot steps disappeared in the distance, JJ reached up, digging both his hands into his blonde hair. He was finally left alone with his thoughts and his head was pounding with so many worries that it began to violently ache. Without the distraction of others around him, he was driving himself mad and the tiny ass cell wasn't helping.

He found himself pacing inside the limited space his imprisonment provided. His trembling fingers tugged at his roots, he hadn't experienced this much anxiety building up inside him in his entire life. It was making sweat pool against his forehead while a chill ran down his spine. He was feeling dizzy and unsteady and his chest ached with discomfort as his blood pressure sky rocketed.

He groaned to himself, just wanting it all to disappear. He forced himself to stop pacing and sat down on top of the stiff cot, face instantly dipping down into his hands. There was only one thing that could silence his world at the moment, and he let that take over to ease away his pain as much as he could.

_She loves me._

That was the only hope that he could hold onto. It was the only thing that mattered.


	12. Chapter 12

**••• KIARA •••**

Pope and John B pulled up to the end of the dock in the HMS Pogue. They wasted no time tying her off before jumping onto the dock and sprinting towards Kiara who was standing at the opposite end of the wooden planks.

She pushed herself forward once she saw them and ran towards the two as fast as she could. She was in desperate need of comfort from her best friends and she knew they probably needed it as well. Pope pulled ahead of John B and Kiara ran into his open arms, smashing the side of her face into his shoulder while his strong arms pulled her as close to him as he could.

She didn't have any tears left to cry, instead she just scrunched her eyes closed and let out a deep and shaky breath against Pope's shirt.

"We'll figure it out, Kie. We will." He whispered against her hair, attempting to reassure her. "We always do."

She nodded her head against him, praying that what he said was true. Kie opened her eyes again to see John B reach the two of them. She slowly pulled her arms away from Pope and went in to hug her second friend. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a tight squeeze.

John B pulled back after a few seconds and clutched Kiara's cheeks gently, pulling her away from his embrace so he could look down at her. His face was filled with concern. "Are you okay, Kie?"

She shrugged her shoulders, looking between the two Pogues before her then shook her head. "Not really."

"Neither are we." Pope said quietly and John B nodded in agreement. There was a deep set frown on both of their faces that matched Kiara's own.

•••

Kiara sat on the couch inside of the château. She had her thumb in her mouth, nervously chewing against her nail. It was a bad habit that came when she was anxious, along with the leg that she couldn't stop bouncing against the wooden floor.

Pope was up and pacing the length of the living room. She could tell that wheels were turning at a chaotic rate inside his head. John B sat on his dining table, legs dangling down as he stroked his hand against his mouth over and over. There they sat once again with out JJ, and the Pogues were a mess without their fourth member.

"I have money." Kie spoke up through the silence. "It's for college, but it's a good chunk of cash that's been saved away. I doubt if he will have a bail but if he does I'll gladly dip into it for him. Or hell, I'll just get him a damn good attorney."

Pope stopped pacing to stare at her. She knew he wasn't found of people giving things up that would lead them to a good education or career, and his face told her exactly what he was going to say before he even spoke the words. "No. He wouldn't want you to use that money. It's for your education."

"I don't care, Pope!" She said a little louder and snippier than she ought to. It was hard to stay calm when emotions were on high. 

"Well, I do!" He said to her, poking his finger into his chest.

"If the situation was reversed, he'd do it for me. He'd do it for any of us without a single hesitation." As she spoke, she used her hands to emphasize her words.

"It's not a good idea. That money is going to fuel your future." Pope said as he began to shake his head, wearing a look of disapproval that really irked her. 

Her parents were rich and they had set her up with a nice college fund that had been saved up over the years. Not that they would ever just give it away to her, they raised her to work for what she had. But the money was there. It was replaceable and she knew it, and at that time saving her friend was more important than college. She wouldn't care if both her parents killed her for doing it and she wouldn't care what she had to do to get ahold of it.

She could wait a year, two years, or even a couple of more. College would always be there, but if they didn't find a way to save JJ, he wouldn't be there anymore. He'd be alive, but not well, waisting away in a cell for who knew how long...and that just didn't sit right with her.

"Are you kidding me? JJ living a life outside of prison instead of in it for being wrongly accused is more of a priority to me right now than becoming an Oceanographer." Kiara hissed at him.

"You can't spend the money to study for your dream career on JJ. We'll find another way, Kiara." Pope said with a stern voice. Kie stood up quick, looking over at John B with wide eyes to see what opinion he had on the matter, but knowing it would piss her off if he sided with Pope. John B was paying no attention to them, he was still stroking his face, looking as though he were deep in thought. 

Kie snapped her head back in Pope's direction before she spoke. "There might not be another way, Pope! When push comes to shove and I'm able to save my friend, I'm doing whatever it takes." 

She wasn't going to take her Pogue Promise to JJ lightly. She was going to fight for him, just like he would for any of them. Just like he has in the past. Kiara almost couldn't believe Pope, but deep down past her anger she knew he only had the best intentions at heart.

"Kie-" Pope began, but she held up her hand and waved him off.

"Don't." She said, bringing her tone down and speaking more softly. "Just don't. You're not going to change my mind, man. It's JJ."

He didn't say anything, just looked at her, his eyes becoming saddened. Kiara sighed. She was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed in the tiny room so she headed out the front door and onto the château's screened in porch.

Just as she placed a hand on the railing and began to close her eyes, John B bursting out the door caught her off guard. 

"Wait!" He said, holding a finger up as he looked at her, then behind his shoulder as Pope stepped out onto the porch to see what was going on. The look on John B's face indicating a light bulb had went off inside of his head. "What if there is another way?"

Kiara and Pope knitted their eyebrows together in unison as they stared at the shaggy headed surfer.

"What?" Kie asked, obviously intrigued by his outburst.

"Okay...just hear me out." He said as he pointed his finger between them and began pacing the porch as Pope had been inside the liviving room moments before. "I think we know someone who might be able to help."

**••• JJ •••**

JJ wasn't sure how much time was passing him by. There was no clock in the room or along the wall of the hallways visible through the bars, nor where there any windows. It felt as though he had been in this horrible holding cell for days, though he knew that couldn't be the case. It had probably only been a few hours.

He had laid back against the cot and tried desperately to get comfortable, but it was useless. It felt as though he was laying on a hard table; the mattress was so thin and worn that it provided no cushion against the metal frame. Not to mention the poor excuse for a pillow his head was laying on. 

JJ tucked his hands beneath his head and stared up at the brick ceiling. He wondered if Kiara was okay. The last sight he caught of her she was crying and falling to her knees against the driveway as he pulled away in custody. He hoped that John B and Pope were with her.

He was trying different ways to keep himself distracted and to keep himself sane in the small cell, but even his own distractions were getting distracted by overwhelming thoughts. 

_...12...13...14...15...God, her lips were so soft...16...and experienced...17...I wonder who taught her to kiss like that? She's definitely done that before...ah, shit..what was I on?...1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...She wanted to go further, I could tell. She was just afraid. Is she afraid because she wants me as badly as I want her? Or maybe it was because we were crossing a major line...or it could be the fact she has never took it further before...fuck, was I on 7 or 8? Damn it! 1...2...3..._

The sound of footsteps coming down the hallway made him pull his eyes away from counting the bricks on the ceiling and shift his sight to the cell door. He waited to see who was approaching and if they were coming for him. An uneasiness swelled in his stomach; he would much rather be left alone right now than deal with the reality of the situation. 

When a familiar face appeared behind the barred cell door, it caused him to sit up instantly. He was almost shocked to see who was standing on the opposite side of the cell and part of him felt relieved until he saw Clag walk up beside of her.

"We need to talk." Sheriff Peterkin spoke in her usual cold, monotone voice as she eyed JJ with a look of disapproval. He knew that look well from the many times she had dealt with his dumbass in the past, but there was something more stern in her eyes this time.

JJ swung his feet over the edge of the cot and stood up, glaring over the Sheriff's shoulder as he did so. He didn't like Clag one bit and he hoped this talk didn't have to include him. Two small steps was all it took and he was facing the two of them directly from his side of the cell.

"Is Hulk Hogan over there part of this conversation?" JJ asked, tearing his eyes away from Clag and looking back at Peterkin. He found that humor helped calm his nerves and he couldn't deny that between the Police Officer's blonde mustache and bulky build, he did sort of resemble the professional wrestler.

"Boy, you better watch yo-" Clag started, but was cut off by the sharp look Peterkin gave him. 

"You going to unlock the door, Officer?" She asked coldly. The man tightened his jaw and shot daggers at JJ before unhooking his keyring from his hip and unlocking the holding cells sliding door.

As the man returned his keyring to his hip, he reached to his other side to grab the pair of handcuffs hanging from his belt. He went to take a step inside of the cell, cuffs in hand ready to be clasped down onto JJ's wrists when Peterkin extended her arm across his chest and stopped Clag from entering into the cell with him. 

"Those won't be necessary." She spoke out to him but didn't take her eyes off of JJ.

The look on Clag's face was priceless, and JJ found the tinest bit of pleasure out of watching the asshole not get what he wanted.

"It's protocol, Ma'am. He's in custody and it's for our safety." The Officer informed the Sheriff, the sound of annoyance obvious in his voice.

"I know damn well that the protocol is, Clag. But I said those won't be necessary." This time she tore her eyes from JJ to glare at Hulk Hogan jr. with a look that could kill.

The man sighed and returned his handcuffs back to his hip whilst shaking his head. Once they were placed back on his belt, Clag reached in the cell and grabbed JJ. In an instant, he had both of JJ's arms twisted around to his back, holding his wrists tightly with one large hand.

"Cuffs or no cuffs, the boy is getting restrained. We don't need the county's Sheriff to be the next one he tries to kill." Clag muttered, leaning way too close to JJ's face than he liked for him to be. The man wore too much damn cologne and it made JJ want to gag.

The thought crossed through JJ's head to just spit on the man since he dared be so up in his face, but he knew that would only make matters worse for him. Instead he bit down on his lip in attempt to fight back the urge and swallow his anger.

Peterkin rolled her eyes towards Clag, but turned on her heel to walk back down the hallway. "Let's go."

The hand clutching JJ's wrists pushed further into his back, making JJ stumble forward to start walking. Clag was pushing his luck with JJ, and he didn't know how much more he could take of the Officer before he completely lost his temper.

They followed Peterkin down the hallway, this time JJ allowed himself to look around at the other holding cells to see who was locked away with him. Though there weren't many, the people seemed nothing like him. One appeared homeless with an unkept beard trailing down to his chest, one was covered from bald head to toe with tattoos, literally. Another appeared one poke away from a heroin overdose and one was beefier than ole Officer Hulk Hogan Jr. with biceps the size of watermelons.

Peterkin led them to a door and once it was opened it revealed nothing but a table with two chairs and a stand against the wall holding a coffee machine with styrofoam cups. Once JJ saw this, he instantly knew what kind of room it was, but he wondered what was in the paper bag sitting on top the table.

_Great. Interrogation time._

Clag pushed him on through the doorframe behind the Sheriff, and the moment he walked through he could smell the aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Peterkin walked over to the stand and grabbed the coffee pot, her back facing them.

"Thank you, Officer Clag. That will be all." She spoke without turning around. JJ was glad to hear the dick wasn't going to be sticking around for this. 

The grip on JJ's wrists grew tighter as the man spoke. "Are you kiddin'? I'm not leaving you alone in here with this punk."

JJ watched forward at Peterkin as she was about to pour her coffee into a cup, but she stopped as Clag spoke. The Sheriff cleared her throat and spoke without turning around.

"Leave me with Mr.Maybank. I will not ask you again." 

JJ could hear Clag scoff and he could only imagine the look on his face, but he did not turn around to see, he was too busy starring at Peterkin, surprised that she was treating the officer the way she was, but JJ wasn't complaining about it. Clag shoved JJ forward into the room while he let go of his grip on him.

"Whatever. If the kid pulls something, that's on you." He muttered before turning to exit the room. 

JJ couldn't deny the satisfaction he felt from how Peterkin was ordering around Clag. He turned to look towards the Officer as he walked out through the door. "Sayonara, Mr. Hogan! It's been a pleasure. Truly."

He could see Clag tense up beneath his uniform right as he slammed the door shut behind him. When JJ looked back towards Sheriff Peterkin, she had resumed pouring herself a cup of coffee without turning to look at him and spoke. "Don't get so hopeful that you won't be seeing him again. Have a seat."

JJ chewed on his tongue. He wasn't entirely sure how he should be feeling in that moment. He couldn't tell if it was a good thing or bad thing that she was here, but he hoped it wasn't the latter. 

He walked over to the table and pulled out a chair. As he sat down he watched Peterkin flick a packet of sugar to get the last of its contents to fall down into her drink. Then his eyes shifted to the brown paper bag that sat in the middle of the table. From the grease stains near the bottom, he assumed it contained food and the thought made his stomach rumble. He hadn't noticed how hungry he was until then.

"What's in the bag?" He asked while she stirred her coffee with a tiny black straw.

"A double bacon cheeseburger and an order of curly fries. Cheese sauce for dippin'." She replied, still taking her time with her caffeinated beverage, not looking at JJ.

"From Bubba's?" He asked with hopefulness about his favorite burger joint that didn't sit too far away from this Police Station. He leaned up, preparing to snatch the bag and devour its contents.

"From Bubba's." She said in confirmation.

"Ooof. Right up my alley." He grinned as his fingers grazed the top of the bag.

"Don't touch it." Somehow without turning to look at him, she knew he was reaching for it. He started to think that maybe she had eyes in the back of her head.

JJ slunk back in his seat with disappointment. His stomachs hunger pains were even worse now that he knew what deliciousness lied within the brown sack.

Peterkin finally turned to face him, and JJ forced his eyes away from the grease stained bag to meet her unreadable face as she spoke. "You're like little a rock in my shoe, Maybank. I shake my foot, think I've gotten it out then dang there it is again."

He pressed his lips into a hard line and tousled his long blonde strands. It had been a long while since the Sheriff had dealt with him, but his past had a long streak of ending up face to face with her. "Well...maybe you should watch where you're stepping."

Peterkin moved forward and took her seat at the table across from JJ, her eyes never leaving his. "You outta be thankful I keep getting that rock inside my shoe, but damn that little rock makes me want to crush it."

"Oookay." He said with emphasis on the word. He placed his hands on the table, suddenly finding the bits of hanging skin around his finger nails interesting.

The Sheriff cleared her throat at JJ, demanding his full attention. Without moving his head from facing towards his hands, he lifted his eyes to meet hers again. The authoritativeness she put off made him feel uncomfortable.

"I want to know what was going on in that thick skull of yours when all this went down? You're eighteen now, they aren't going to assign you some bullshit community service and they aren't talking Juvie down in Waynesborrow anymore. No, this is some deep deep water you've gotten yourself into."

JJ began tapping his forefinger nervously against the table. "It's all bullshit." He mumbled out. "My father is a piece of shit, yes. He has been my entire life. He lashes out on me, I defend myself. It's the same damn thing that has been going on since my mom left...died, ten years ago. I never tried to kill him, no matter how much I hate him and how much I wish he wasn't in my life. At the end of the day he's still my dad."

Though the thought had crossed his mind many of times, he knew that deep down he would never do it. No one needed to know that he once aimed at gun at his father's head while the man was passed out on the couch from drinking too much and no one needed to know that he almost drove a screwdriver through the man's skull. JJ was aware that he wouldn't be able to bring himself to do it, even though he wanted the man out of his life.

Peterkin seemed to think for a few moments, taking a long sip from her coffee while eyeing him before she finally spoke.

"That's why I have been so tough on you through the years. I know the kind of man Luke Maybank is. I never wanted to see you turn out like him...So what exactly went down yesterday morning?" She asked as she shoved the greasy brown paper bag towards JJ. 

JJ licked his bottom lip slowly, thinking about everything that had happened clearly in his head before speaking. He knew he could trust Peterkin. Though the Sheriff had always been hard on him, she only wanted to see the best for him.


	13. Veronica

**••• JJ •••**

JJ eagerly opened the brown paper bag while thinking over how to tell Peterkin what had went down. The smell of deep fried, greasy goodness hit his face, making his stomach growl again. He was ready to dive into the fast-food feast, but as soon as he reached his hand down into the bag, the Sheriff spoke up.

"Not so fast. You talk then you eat." She informed him. "Don't make me snatch that bag away from you."

He groaned, leaning against the backrest of the chair so he wouldn't be as tempted to tear into the burger and fries. He began to go over the details with Peterkin of what had taken place leading up to yesterday morning; how he had worked washing boats, mowing grass, trimming palm trees and taking shifts at a hotel's kitchen washing dishes, all over the course of a few weeks to save up some cash. 

He told her about the customized 24k golden necklace that cost him a pretty penny, and how he hid it somewhere he had assumed to be a safe place. A room he thought had been left unentered by his father for years, due to the circumstances about his mother. He mentioned the blame that was put on him about her.

This earned him a go ahead from Sheriff Peterkin to remove the curly fries from the grease stained sack. JJ dug them out quick, popped opened the lid to the cheese sauce and began munching down on the fries.

He continued on between swallows, explaining how the necklace wasn't were he had hid it and about Luke confronting him in the room, confessing that he had pawned it before he kicked JJ from the chair and began assaulting his son. JJ told Peterkin that for a moment, he thought his father was going to choke him to death, but he was able to override his dad and fought him off until the man ended up knocked out. 

"I see." She said after taking a long sip of coffee from her styrofoam cup. "Let me guess...then you took the keys off of your unconscious father and drove away in his truck?" 

JJ focused in on scrapping a curly fry against the edge of the plastic container to get a hefty amount of cheese sauce on it, not wanting to meet the Sheriff's stern gaze and admit to the crime he really did do. "Uhhh..."

"You must not want the burger. That's alright, I could use a bite to eat." 

"Hah." JJ gave a short, uncomfortable laugh before popping the fry in his mouth to save him a few moments before having to speak. He chewed slowly, but sped up when he saw Peterkin reach for his bag.

"Shit. Yeah." He said quickly after swallowing down his fry. "Yeah I took his keys off him." 

_God damn it. I really want that burger._

"That's what I thought." The Sheriff's hand retracted back to her coffee cup, leaving JJ's burger to remain in front of him. "Why'd you do it?"

JJ shrugged his shoulders, he wasn't exactly sure how to say it. Out loud he knew it sounded stupid and childish. When Peterkin began to reach for his paper bag again, his mouth flew open quick to speak. She definitely knew what she was doing; offering him food and threatening to take it away if he didn't speak up, inevitably getting what she wanted from him.

"Fuck...I dunno. I was so pissed, my adrenaline was out the roof." JJ shrugged his shoulders and looked towards the corner of the room.

When he finally looked back at Peterkin, she gave him a nod as if saying to proceed with what he was saying. She was looking for a better explanation from him and he knew it. JJ took in a deep breath before continuing on.

"I wanted to do anything to show him how angry I was, how done I was with his shit...I-I wanted him to know how I felt...to know what it's like to have something taken away from him for a change. Plus, my tank was almost on E and I didn't have much cash after buying the necklace, so..."

JJ hated the feeling he got when he spoke or even thought about the things that happen between him and his father. He didn't want to feel anything at all, but he couldn't drown out the intensity of how it made him feel. The anger, disappointment, and as much as he hated to admit it, the hurt it brought him. There was only a few things that could numb it to a point; drugs, alcohol, the Pogues...especially Kiara. She numbed the pain more than anything.

"Can I eat the damned burger now?" He asked quietly, looking away from the Sheriff to focus in on the circles he was drawing against the table with his index finger.

Peterkin nodded towards him. "Go ahead." She seemed to be letting everything JJ said sink in.

He wasted no time grabbing out the double bacon cheese burger and unwrapping it from the paper. It was hardly warm anymore, but he didn't care. He sunk his teeth into it, attempting to let its familiar and delicious taste pull his thoughts away from his dad.

"You're lucky you have people looking out for you." The Sheriff said after a few quiet moments of nothing but the sound of JJ chewing.

"Hmm?" He asked with a mouthful, using his knuckle to wipe at the corner of his lips.

"Luke came straight to the Police Station to file his report on you. I figure he knew he wouldn't get far with the Sheriff's Department...he doesn't hold a very good reputation with us." She said, making JJ sit up straight in his seat as she spoke. "We weren't notified about the warrant for your arrest. I hadn't heard what was going on until I got a direct call to my office from your good friend...John B."

JJ placed the half-eaten burger back down on its wrapper. He was far too interested in what Peterkin was saying now to have to listen to her words against his chewing. "Yeah?"

"Mmhmm." She said as she took the last sip of her coffee then placed the empty cup back down on the table. "He told me about past incidents with your father, which came as no surprise to me; I've always had my suspicions. Your other friend, who I've had the pleasure of not knowing because he seems to keep himself out of trouble better than you and Routledge...he backed everything John B said." 

The Sheriff stood and made her way back over to the coffee pot as she continued on. "Then the girl from the other end of the island-"

"Kiara." JJ spurted out, not intentionally meaning to cut Peterkin off as an image of the curly-haired Pogue flashed through his head.

"Kiara...she spoke to me next. Told me the same things you just told me, less detail of course, but spot on nonetheless." JJ stared at the dark liquid as it poured out of the pot and down into her cup while he listened closely to what she was saying. "Now, knowing where she comes from and who her parents are, I have no right to believe she would lie to me. I believe it to be even more the truth now that I've heard what you've had to say."

Kie was keeping her promise, and from the sounds of it, they all were going to fight for him. JJ didn't have much in this life, but he was glad he had a group of close friends he could always count on. 

JJ didn't speak, he just watched as Peterkin made her second cup of coffee the way she had before; adding two sugars then stirring slowly with a tiny black straw.

"I was quick to make my way over here after I spoke with them...to see for myself what was going on. Sure as shit, the trouble making teen I've been dealing with for years - that annoying little rock in my shoe - landed himself in the County Jail with threats to be sent to the State Prison." 

_State Prison._

The sound of her last two words sent a shiver down JJ's spine. He knew he didn't belong there, real criminals needed to fill those cells, not him. He suddenly lost his appetite and couldn't find it in him to pick the burger back up to finish. 

Peterkin must of been reading his mind, because once she had her coffee just the way she liked it, she turned back around to face him as she leaned against the table that held the coffee machine.

"As much of a pain in the ass you have been in the past, I know damn well that place shouldn't waste a cell on someone like you. Real murders, attempted murders, abusers and rapists deserve to be there. Not some surfer kid from The Cut with a messed up home life that smokes too much weed and gets into dumb shit with his friends."

"Yeah, well, life keeps dealing me a pretty shitty hand." JJ muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Like you said, I'm in some deep water here being accused of trying to murder by dad. You may know what I've told you to be the truth, but these guys aren't going to buy it...I'm done for."

Peterkin's typical set-in-stone frown broke as JJ spoke and she offered him a small smirk. "I didn't come over here to just check in on you...I'm here to try and help you." 

The Sheriff took her seat back in front of JJ. He felt a glimmer of hope from Peterkin's words, but it wasn't enough to slice through his doubts. "Help me? With a past like I've had with the law and these accusations, how do you expect to help me? Like you said, I'm in some deep water here. A guy like Clag would glady do whatever it took to send me to the State Pen."

"What do I look like to you, chopped liver?" Peterkin asked. He was aware that as a Sheriff she held a good amount of authority, but he didn't know what she could do to save him from drowning when he felt as though his head was barely above the surface while the current was threatening to pull him under.

She didn't give him anytime to answer her before she continued. "Attempted Murder is a very serious accusation...but it's also a far stretch in my eyes. You may not have the best record from the past either, but in all honesty most teenagers on this island are doing the same damn things you have, they are just smart enough to not get caught."

"Thanks." JJ muttered.

"Now with the amount of people you have that can vouch on you for the many incidents you've had with you father, you need to use that to your advantage. I'm going to vouch for you too as much as I can...but Grand Theft Auto, well...you really did that so there won't be much help I can do there, but it won't land you in the State Pen, that's for damn sure."

He couldn't deny that he was thankful that the Sheriff was taking something that wasn't her situation and making it her problem, but he really couldn't understand why she would go through so many measures to help him. 

"Why are you doing this for me?" He asked, which made the Sheriff take in a long breath and look over him for a moment before sighing as she closed her eyes. "I thought you wanted to crush that little rock in your shoe?"

"I've never told you this before." Peterkin began. "I don't know why I haven't...maybe it's just because it hurts too much, but... your mother, Veronica, she...she used to be my best friend. We spent nearly every day together as we grew up. We were inseparable, just like you and your group of friends."

JJ's eyebrows knitted together as he listened to what she was saying to him. After all the years he had known the Sheriff, he hadn't expected that.

She continued on. "When your mother met Luke, things changed. I didn't like the guy one bit, something about him just rubbed me the wrong way but I figured it was only because he had taken away my best friend. I tried to be happy for her and it was difficult to do, especially when I started the Academy. He hated law enforcement and made it very clear to me on many occasions, but I wasn't going to let him change my mind." 

"But he seemed to change your mothers. She hung around me less and less, always making some excuse. I knew it was because Luke didn't like me. He was getting in her head, and I didn't realize how bad he got in there until I found out from someone else that they had gotten married. We were supposed to be each other's Maid of Honor, we had talked about it since we were pre-teens clear into adulthood, but she ran off and married your dad without even telling me. When I confronted her about it, she broke down crying and told me it was because of Luke...that she did truly love him but he was very controlling, and that she was sorry she broke her end of the promise."

"She started to come around me more, saying that she had been putting her foot down to Luke. I was happy that she was standing up for herself, but I soon noticed her attempting to cover and hide bruises on her body. Anytime I'd ask her about them she would get so angry with me and leave. There wasn't much I could do, I still wasn't graduated from the Academy, and she wouldn't admit anything to me anyways other than that he was a bit controlling."

"When she became pregnant with you, the bruising had stopped and she seemed truly happy. She was glowing all the time and Luke was even coming around me more often, but when I finally graduated and got my job at the Sheriff's Department, I became busy and so did they when you were born. I didn't see them much, but when I did I could tell that your mother's light had went out again."

"Since I was now officially a member of the Law Enforcement, I knew Luke was doing his best to keep him and his family away from me. I hardly ever got to see Veronica or you and years began to pass and my best friend slowly faded away into a stranger."

"The day she decided to leave your father, she came to my office. At this point it had been around two years since I last saw her. She told me she was leaving him, and I remember getting so happy from the news then suddenly so angry at her when she told me she wasn't taking you with her. It seemed your dad had truly brainwashed her into thinking she had turned you into some poor excuse for a boy and that you were better off being raised by him. She didn't listen to my pleas to take you with her, or to go to court to get full custody of you and she still wouldn't admit to me that your father was abusing her mentally and physically. 

"She did make me promise one thing though, and that was that I would always watch out for you and protect you...and that's why I'm here today. That's why I have always been your biggest buzzkill."

"When I found out she had pulled out in front of that semi, I suddenly began to think that maybe it was on purpose...that thats the reason she hadn't taken you with her...because even though we had lost touch in those last years, I knew that she loved you more than anything. She told me that last day that out of all of her art, you were her favorite thing she ever created. I truly believe she came to me that day because she couldn't handle him anymore or live with what he had put her and you through. She knew I would do my best to prevent you from becoming like your father."

JJ felt his chest moving back and forth at an unsteady rate, it was suddenly becoming hard to breathe in this small room. So many emotions were flooding through him from everything Peterkin just admitted to him, and his body wasn't sure how to react to the news. He bit down on his lip to stop it from quivering, a very vivid memory from his past starting to creep into focus as he thought back to the moment he noticed his father's abusiveness.

**••• 12 Years Ago •••**

_I sat at the dining room table hard at work. My feet were dangling down from the chair, nowhere close to touching the floor while my small hand clasped tight against a crayon._

_I furrowed my brow and stuck my tongue out at the corner of my mouth as I concentrated on my work; a drawing of me and my dad fishing on his boat. He told me once that we would go, but he seemed to have forgotten. I hoped this would remind him. I think dad would be happy if he took me fishing. I never been before, but I know I'd catch a big fish and he would be proud of me._

_My look of concentration must of been funny, because it earned a soft, almost musical laugh from momma. I looked up at her where she sat beside me and grinned from ear to ear towards her. Her blue eyes were soft and dancing with amusement while she scrunched her nose up and smiled just as wide back at me. She was so pretty._

_"What's so funny?" I giggled out._

_She reached over and pushed my hair from my eyes. "Nothin'. You just make the same face I do when I'm focused on my art."_

_"Dad says me and you are too much alike." This made her smile fade away, and I didn't like that too much so I added in. "Don't worry, mom. I like bein' like you. I want to be as good a artist as you one day."_

_Her smile returned and so did the warmth it brought me. I placed the crayon back to the paper and attempted to spell my full name at the bottom as best I could. My first name was a piece of cake, but I always messed up my last name._

_"You are already an amazing artist." She told me as she tapped her finger against my drawing. "And you got our last name right this time."_

_I continued to smile while I dropped the crayon and held up the piece of paper in front of my face. "You think dad will 'member to take me fishin' on his boat now?"_

_She didn't respond right away, so I looked at her with hopeful eyes but her expression was hard to read as it focused on the front door, the sound of dad's loud truck coming up the driveway filling our ears._

_"Momma?"_

_She glanced back at me and the smile she gave me this time seemed forced. "Maybe, JJ.”_

_A few moments later the front door swung open and my father stumbled inside. The small room was suddenly filled with a strong, sickening sweet smell that I have only experienced coming off of him when he talks funny and has a hard time walking._

_My mother shot up from beside me at the table, her eyes boring holes into dad's head. He didn't seem to notice her, instead he staggered to the fridge and grabbed a can of 'forbidden soda' that I'm not allowed to drink. Though, one time dad let me take a swig of it and laughed as I nearly threw up before telling me if he ever catches me drinking one I'd never see the light of day again._

_"You're home early." Mom said as she crossed her arms over her chest._

_He cracked open the can and slurred out "Good observation." before taking a long drink._

_"Well?" She asked. "Why aren't you at work?"_

 _He continued chugging down his drink, then slammed the empty can against the counter, crushing it, which made me jump slightly in my seat. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before he spoke. "'Cuz I fucking quit."_

_"What!?" Mom exclaimed. "Luke, the bills are already behind! Why in the hell would you do that?"_

_I felt uncomfortable. They argued a lot and I didn't like the way it made me feel. I stayed still and quiet at the table, glancing between the two of them. They both glared at each other._

_"Maybe if you got a real damn job instead of doing your stupid art, you could help pull your weight around this fucking place!" He spat back at her._

_"People like my work, Luke! They buy it! It lets me stay home and raise our son!" I looked at momma as she spoke, her eyes were glazed over with tears._

_When I looked back at dad, he shifted his focus on me and walked over to the table where I sat. He snatched my drawing from my clutch and held it up so he could see._

_"What's this supposed to be?" He asked me._

_I lowered my head as I spoke. "It's me an you on your big boat fishin'."_

_When I raised my head back up to look at him, my drawing was being crumpled up into a ball in his fist. My stomach dropped and sadness washed over me as he destroyed the artwork I made for him. He tossed it to the floor like a piece of garbage. I didn't want to cry, he didn't like it one bit when I did that, but I couldn't help it as the tears pooled in my eyes the same way they were with momma._

_"Look at him. You're doing nothing but making him just like you. He's too fucking soft, Veronica! He'll never be a man!" Dad snapped at her before he grabbed my shirt and yanked me up so I was hanging in front of his face._

_"Men. Don't. Cry." He growled in my face, making me tremble with fear._

_“Let go of him!" Mom shouted from behind me. Dad dropped me and I landed on my feet with a hard thud before I quickly sunk back down into my seat, pushing my hands against my eyes to try and stop the tears from leaving them. My mom placed her hand on my shoulder and I peaked out from my fingers to look at her._

_"Go outside for a little while, JJ." She said to me softly, but I could hear the heartbreak in her voice as her tears spilled down her cheeks. I listened to her and popped up out of my chair quick and sprinted outside._

__

•••

__

_A little while later my stomach started to growl. I managed to only let a few tears slip out after I had ran out of the house, though dad wasn't out there to see that I didn't cry like a baby, I still wanted to prove that I was six and I could be a grown man._

__

_After keeping myself entertained and distracted the best I could, the hunger I felt was becoming overwhelming. Dad coming home early had made me miss lunch and I hadn't had much of a breakfast. I figured it was time to finally head back inside._

__

_When I walked back through the front door, the house was quiet. When I went through the living room, dad was passed out in his usual spot on the couch and the coffee table was littered with cans. I watched mom pick up some earlier today, so I knew all of these ones were new._

__

_I made my way down the hallway and stopped at the door I figured she would be behind. I reached up for the handle but It was locked when I wiggled it so I knocked softly. After some shuffling she opened the door for me before returning to her seat at her desk and grabbed her paint brush, lifting it to her canvas with shaking hands._

__

_"Mom, I'm hungry." I told her quietly as I walked into her art room and went to stand beside her._

__

_I'll make you something in just a minute." She told me._

__

_I admired the way her brush stroked paint gracefully onto her work, even with her unsteady hands. My eyes trailed up her arm and stopped at some black and blue markings left along her skin. She must of noticed me looking, because she stopped painting to tug her sleeve down further to cover the bruises._

__

_My eyes then landed on her face. It appeared sad and defeated. At the corner of her mouth there was something bright red, smeared outward a bit onto her cheek. I lifted my small finger up to point towards it._

__

_"Mom, I think you got some red paint on your face."_

__

_She placed down her brush and touched the corner of her lips, grimacing as she did so. She then pulled her hand back and stared at the red against her fingertip for a long moment before meeting my eyes._

__

_"Silly me." She breathed out, taking a rag from her desk and wiping at her face. "Let's go make you some food."_

__

_I nodded my head but took one last look at her painting, realizing there was no red on her canvas. She was painting the ocean and palm trees, no red paint was needed for that._

__

_"Quiet now." She said to me before we exited the room into the hallway. "We don't need to wake your father."_

**••• Present Day •••**

JJ stood up quick from his seat at the table with Sheriff Peterkin. He was beginning to feel overwhelmed and claustrophobic. He couldn't tell if it was from the small room or from the heaviness of what she had said to him, along with his memory. "I need some air."

Peterkin stood up slowly after JJ, giving him a sympathetic look that almost appeared unnatural on her face that was typically always stern. "I hate to tell you this, but they aren't going to let you out of this building."

As they normally do when he's frustrated, his fingers found themselves in his hair. "Fuck. Ok. Can I make my phone call now, then?"

If he wasn't allowed to take in the salty ocean air to try and calm himself, he desperately needed something before he exploded. If anything else could help him feel grounded again, it would be Kiara. She was equivalent to a breath of fresh air.

"Of course." Peterkin said softly.


	14. Phone Call

**••• KIARA •••**

It wasn't much of a difference, but as soon as the three Pogues got off of the phone with Sheriff Peterkin, there was a sliver of hope inside Kiara that hadn't been there before. The Sheriff stuck a dim-lit match against the dark heaviness the group was feeling about the situation at hand.

To match that feeling, thunder began to rumble in the distance, almost as if the weather was mocking them. In no time, the wind that was whipping Kiara's curls around her face had pushed in a storm. Dark clouds rolled in around John B, Pope and Kie as they stood on the screened in porch of the chateau. The dreariness it brought loomed over the sky and covered up the warm morning glow, turning everything it had touched to gray. Within a few short minutes, sheets of rain broke loose from those clouds and began to pelt against the tin roof of John B's home, the harshness of the wind sweeping the rain against the porches screen, misting the Pogues. 

It was then that Kiara remembered JJ's book bag that was left on the gravel driveway by her car, along with her dead cell phone that she had tossed to the ground out of frustration only a little while ago. She cursed herself before sprinting down off of the porch and into the downpour. Moving as quickly as she could, she slung JJ's bag over her shoulder and scooped her cell off the ground, thankful for her waterproof case. 

As Kie returned to the porch, lightning cracked across the sky and rang in their eardrums. She was drenched from head to toe, shivering from the strong breeze and from the pain she felt as her wet shirt clung to the skin of her stomach where the jellyfish had stung her. She slung the book bag down against a chair that sat on the porch and began to rummage through to the bottom of the bag where her extra clothes were, hoping the rain hadn't soaked completely through. Unfortunately the clothes were damp and no better than what she already was wearing. Kie sighed in irritation, shoving the contents back inside.

John B noticed this and disappeared inside of his home. Pope awkwardly pushed his weight back and forth between both feet and Kiara could tell that he wanted to say something. The two of them hardly ever bumped heads, and she knew that the small argument they had before the phone call with Peterkin was eating away at him but they were both too stubborn to change their minds on how they felt, but she also felt guilty for raising her voice at him when he only had her best intentions at heart.

It was obvious that he was fumbling with himself over how to say something to her, so she saved him the trouble and spoke up first without meeting his eyes. "Look, Pope...I'm sorry about earlier. I know I'm being hard headed about it, but you have to understand where I'm coming from. If money is what it's going to take to help JJ, then I'm the only one that could save him."

When she finally looked up at him, he nodded his head at her. "I know...I'm sorry too, Kie. And I get it, I really do. I don't agree with you taking away from your education but its not my choice to make...I want him out of there just as bad, so if that really is what it takes then...so be it."

Pope moved forward and pulled Kiara into an embrace, not seeming to care if he got his clothes wet from her drenched figure. Though the additional pressure caused the wound on her stomach to sting more, the feeling of a friend's loving embrace at the moment felt too nice to pull away. A moment later John B returned to the porch with a shirt in one hand and a towel in the other. 

Kie pulled away from Pope and took both items from John B, giving him a weak smile. "Thanks."

The two boys retuned inside the château before Kiara stripped out of her soaked tank top and jean shorts until she was left only in her bikini. She rang out her clothes then tossed them inside JJ's bag. She then used the towel to dry off her body and hair before throwing John B's Hawaiian shirt over her shoulders and buttoned it up her body. It was baggy on her and hung down to her mid thigh, but was surprisingly comfortable and smelled like his cologne. 

The weekend had turned out to be completely different than any of them had expected. Kiara couldn't help but to feel guilty about it; if it hadn't been her birthday, JJ would have never gotten her a gift. If she wouldn't have planned the camping trip on that island, perhaps JJ would have had a different situation with his father, or at least maybe he would of been able to prevent everything that had happened.

_Stop it, Kiara. You can't think like that._

She knew she was right. Every negative thought was just a down payment on failure, and positive ones would help invest in JJ's future. The great Willie Nelson once said, "Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results." And that is exactly what the Pogues needed. Positive results.

She took another look out across the front of John B's yard at the foreboding storm as thunder rumbled in the air again. Kiara was going to try her best and hold onto the hope Peterkin gave, no matter how hard it was to do; especially since the weather was matching her mood. From her experience, she knew that it would do her no good to keep panicking and sulking over what had happened to JJ; nothing good ever comes from that kind of mindset. She had to focus on the positives, focus on what hope they had and keep a clear head to help manifest the best outcome possible for him. He deserved that. 

When she entered through the front door of the chateau, it lead into the living room where Pope and John B sat on the opposite ends of the couch from each other, talking amongst themselves. It was clear from their conversation that staying positive was a hard thing for all three of them at the time. When John B looked up from Pope and saw Kiara in his shirt, he stopped speaking for a brief moment and his eyes seemed to linger on her a little longer than she'd of liked them too, but she brushed it off and made her way into the kitchen that connected to the room, plugging her cell phone into the charging cord that was on the counter top. She then went over to the coffee machine and began to brew a pot, knowing that all three of them were feeling hung over from their drinking binge the day before.

John B regained himself after a moment and cleared his throat before speaking again. "You know, I never should of listened to him. So many times I wanted to go to the cops when he'd show up here all busted up. He wouldn't have it though...for some reason he never wanted that piece of shit behind bars and now look at JJ. The wrong Maybank is locked up." He ran his fingers through his shaggy brown hair in frustration. " I mean...It went on for so many years...if I would of just ignored him and listened to my own gut, he'd be out of this mess. I just hope Peterkin can put justice in the right place...that's the only way I could ever let this guilt go."

"I know what you mean." Pope mumbled. "All this time I thought I was being a good friend by respecting what he wanted and not telling my dad or anyone else, but in reality I was being a horrible friend for not getting him help."

"We can't think like that." Kiara sighed as she poured a cup for all three of them, adding a splash of milk until the contents were a lighter brown color. "I feel the same way but the past is the past. We can't dwell on that."

Using her waitressing skills, Kiara carried all three cups of coffee into the living room and handed them around before plopping down in between Pope and John B. They were quiet for a moment while they sipped on the warm caffeinated beverage.

"We graduate on Friday." Pope spoke, breaking the silence.

"Ah, shit. I almost forgot with all of this going on." Kiara sighed

"Damn it...JJ isn't going to be there if this doesn't get sorted out quick." John B added.

At that, Kie pinched the bridge of her nose in attempts to relax her stressed out mind. "He can't miss any more days. He's maxed out. He had an agreement with Principal Sawyer that as long as he didn't miss another minute of class time, he could walk."

The Pogues glanced between each other. Besides the three of them turning eighteen, graduation was the next thing they had all been looking forward to doing together, but they knew the reality was that JJ wouldn't be attending school tomorrow, therefore he would not be walking across the stage and earning his diploma with them.

•••

When Kiara's phone was finally charged, the rain had slacked down to only a drizzle and she knew that she needed to go home. Her parents never liked it when she spent too much time with the Pogues because they weren't exactly the type of friends they were entirely fond of. If they found out about what had happened to JJ, she knew that they would freak out and it would be better for her to be at home with them before they heard about it. As much as she didn't want to leave John B and Pope, she collected her things and said goodbye.

Though the rain wasn't coming down as it had been earlier, she sprinted across the driveway to prevent from getting too wet. As she pulled out her keys to unlock her car, the memory of fumbling with them a few hours ago before they slipped from her fingers and fell against the gravel with a loud clank, alerting the police, flashed through her mind. She shook her head in attempts to push away the thought as she stuck her key into the door and unlocked her car.

Kiara never used to mind being alone at times, but after everything that went down this weekend, she hated how empty she felt being by herself. She didn't want to be left alone inside her own head but she continued to try her best to stay optimistic. It was as if life was treating this as one big joke and trying to push her to her limit because as she pulled out onto the main road, her gas light came on. Though it wasn't that big of a deal, it just seemed to her that it was one thing after another.

She made if a few miles down the road in the direction of her house to a gas station that sat close to the boarder of Figure Eight and The Cut. She pulled her car up to the gas pump, grabbed a twenty-dollar bill from the wallet inside her purse on the passenger floorboard and then hopped out. She made her way inside of the station to prepay for her gas and stood at the back of the line of people at the register. She ignored the weird looks she received for only wearing a long button up men's shirt. If she wasn't feeling the way she was, her normal self would of stared them in the eye and smiled, or perhaps asked them what they were looking at but at the moment she didn't have the energy or her normal feistiness to do it.

As she waited in line, she began to zone out from her surroundings. She hoped that by now Sheriff Peterkin had made her way over to the Kildare County Police Deparment, she hoped that Peterkin would believe everything they had told her and she hoped that JJ was smart enough to admit the truth to her. The coffee she had drank back at John B's hadn't helped her one bit, her head was still aching from her hangover, from crying and from all the stress.

Kiara remained in her own head until the sound of the door bell to the gas station going off pulled her back to reality as it indicated more customers entering the building. She looked over her shoulder at the two men walking inside and her heart immediately stopped beating in her chest as heat crept up her neck and flushed her cheeks.

It was the last person she wanted to see because it was in fact the person who she wanted to exterminate from this Earth. The guy who followed in behind him was no better. The twenty-dollar bill in her hand crumpled in her clutch as she balled both of her hands into fists.

Luke Maybank was entering the gas station, followed suit by the guy who once held a shotgun to her and the other three Pogue's heads: Barry the low life drug dealer. The sight of the two twisted her stomach in knots and she couldn't help but notice the damage JJ had done to his father's face, it looked even worse than his had.

Kiara quickly whipped her head back forward to stare straight ahead at the person who was in line in front of her, her chest beginning to rise and fall at an unsteady rate as anger coursed through her body. As much as she wanted to confront the man who placed such a horrible blame against his own son, it wasn't the time nor the place to do it, especially without John B or Pope at her side. She didn't want the two of them to recognize her, because she knew how dangerous both men were.

They walked past behind her, talking amongst themselves. She listened in as best as she could to their conversation as the two made their way over to the beer coolers. Though her head stayed facing forward, she watched them from the corner of her eye, boring holes in the back of Luke's head as he reached inside of a cooler and grabbed two cases of beer.

"How many should I get?" He asked Barry.

"You aren't buying anything." Barry said as he shook his head and snagged the two cases from Luke's hands. "It's time for you to rightfully celebrate and drinks are all on me."

The grin that spread across Luke's face from Barry's words twisted the knot in Kiara's stomach tighter, making her feel nauseous. He grabbed onto Barry's shoulder with one hand and gave him a small shake, the way a proud father does to his son. "My man!"

"Grab a few more cases. Party starts at my place in about a half hour and it should be a good turn out." Barry said as he tucked one case under his arm and reached into another cooler, pulling out more alcohol.

"Next." The cashier spoke, but Kie didn't hear her. She was still focused in on the two piles of shit on isle four. This time, the woman behind the counter cleared her throat and spoke louder. "Ma'am?"

This pulled Kie's attention back to the front of her. The line of people had disappeared and she shot the cashier a apologetic look before moving forward and throwing down the crumpled money onto the counter top.

"Pump Three." She muttered, throwing one last disgusted look in the direction of the two scumbags. To her dismay, she made solid eye contact with Barry, and from the look in his eye he seemed to recognize who she was.

Kiara quickly exited the gas station before any confrontation could take place. As she lifted the nozzle from pump three and began to fuel up her car with shaking hands, her mind was fuming. She didn't know how much more she could handle of this roller coaster weekend. Luke was celebrating the fact that his son was locked away. She could hardly believe it, it made her blood boil. 

_That piece of shit! How could he!? If it wasn't bad enough what he did to JJ, now he is going to live it up with Barry and party over his son going to jai!?_

As the numbers on the gas tank ticked over to twenty dollars worth of gas in her tank, the two men emerged from the building, carrying all the alcohol Barry had bought for Luke. She slowly placed the gas nozzle back into its holder, watching them as they made their way over to a beat up car she assumed to be Barry's.

Kiara climbed back into her own vehicle and continued to keep her eyes on them through her rear view mirror. They got into the car and pulled up to the exit of the station and her breath caught in her throat when she noticed that they both turned their heads to look in her direction. She sunk down a bit in her seat, continuing to hold her breath until they sped out onto the main road.

She sat there for a minute, pondering over what she had witnessed. An idea began to creep its way inside her head and with the amount of anger she was feeling, she couldn't decide if it was a good idea or a bad one. Luke and Barry headed down the road in the opposite direction of JJ's house. She had eavesdropped Barry mentioning there was a party happening at his place in the next half hour or so, therefore Luke would not be home.

_Maybe if I go...maybe there will be some kind of evidence, something that could help JJ out of this fucked up mess..._

And just like that her mind was set and there was no changing it. Deep inside past her judgment that was clouded with vexation, she knew that this could lead her into her own heap of trouble, but she had to keep her promise to JJ. Of course she was still planning to use her money to help get him a good attorney, but if that weren't enough then maybe this would be. JJ would do it for any of them, and he would definitely do it for her, she knew that. He had spoke those exact words to her just last night right before they had kissed, and she was going to do anything in her ability to help him. 

Kiara turned on her car and took out of the gas station, pulling out onto the main road in the direction of JJ's place. She gripped onto her steering wheel tight, a rush of adrenaline, determination and a touch of anxiety swelling inside of her. 

A couple of miles later she was close to the house. She decided that it would be best not to pull into the driveway and opted for turning off onto another back road and pulling her car off the side of the road so she could walk the rest of the way to the house. Before she exited her car, she slipped her cell phone into the breast pocket of John B's shirt so she could use it to take pictures or videos if she needed to.

At this time, the rain had stopped but the thunder still echoed through the air while lightning flashed across the dark clouds that remained looming in the sky, threatening another downpour. Kiara walked down the road until she made it closer to JJ's driveway then she stuck to the tree line, attempting to keep herself as secluded as possible. Though there didn't appear to be anyone around, she wanted to go about this in a precautious manner.

When the house finally came into view, the only vehicle Kie could see was JJ's car pulled off in the side yard. She made her way around the house, not even attempting to check and see if the front door was left unlocked. Out of the two years she had know JJ, she had only been to his house a handful of times when his father hadn't been there. From those times she learned that he always left his bedroom window unlocked so he could sneak in and out of the house without confronting his dad.

Luckily for her, the home was only one story and JJ's window was easily accessible from the back porch. When she reached it, she placed her fingertips against the bottom lip of the glass and pushed upwards. The window slid open with ease, granting her access inside of the house and earning her a thrill from the adrenline. 

Kie crawled through the window and into JJ's bedroom. It was just as she remembered: small and a little messy with images of swimsuit models postered across his walls. She shut the window behind her then turned to examine his room some more. It had only been a few hours since she had been with JJ and she had gone days without seeing him before, but in this situation and being inside his own room made her miss him terribly.

His bed was left unmade, which came as no surprise to her. He didn't strike her as the kind of guy who would make his bed each morning. Kiara found herself running her fingers across his comforter, becoming tempted to just crawl in, pull his sheets to her face, close her eyes and drift to sleep breathing in his familiar scent. As tempting as it was with her lack of sleep, that wasn't why she was here.

She exited his room and walked as soft and slow as she could down the hallway. Even though she knew there was no other soul in the house, she still wanted to tread lightly. The hallway led her straight into the living room, which stunk of stale cigarette smoke and the sickening sweet scent of alcohol. Her eyes fell upon source of the smell, which came from the scattered mess of bottles, both pill and alcohol, and cigarette butts that cluttered the surface of the table in front of the couch. She took a step closer, looking over the area that told a story of who Luke Maybank really was: a drug-head alcoholic. 

She was searching for something-anything that could be used against the awful man. Right smack in the middle of the table was a baggie tied tight, the contents inside appearing to be a very expensive amount of white powder. Though it wasn't something she could necessarily use as evidence, she wasn't about to let it just stay there so Luke could enjoy another high. Kiara snatched the bag off the table and shoved the cocaine in the same pocket that held her phone.

She continued to look around the living room and then in the kitchen. There wasn't much of anything that seemed out of the ordinary or anything that could be used to help JJ's case. She began to curse herself, she honestly wasn't sure what she thought she would find here. She became frustrated for letting anger overcome her and lead her to doing such a pointless thing that in reality could just make everything worse if she were to get caught. 

Feeling defeated and foolish, Kie started to make her way back down the hallway so that she could exit the house from JJ's room, figuring it would be best to make it to her car before the rain decided to cut loose once again. She was surprised that by now her parents hadn't tried to get a hold of her, after all they hadn't even got to spend time with her yesterday on her birthday. 

She caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror that hung along the wall in the hallway. She looked rough and drained. Her eyes were tinged with red and held dark circles underneath. She groaned softly, taking a quick moment to close her eyes and rub her hands against them. When she opened them again, something behind her reflection caught her attention. It was a door she hadn't noticed the first time she walked through. It's wood was scuffed up as though someone had attempted to break inside of it before. She suddenly remembered what JJ had told her earlier this morning; that his dad confronted him yesterday inside of his mother's room.

Kiara turned to face the door, observing the markings that had been left behind on it. Although she didn't know much about JJ's mother Veronica, from the faint details she had collected over time from him, she imagined that this was the door a scared woman hid behind from her horrible reality. 

She hesitated for a moment, feeling a bit of sorrow before placing her hand on the knob, twisting it and pushing the door open. Kie was surprised to find the amount of breath-taking artwork that was scattered around the room. She knew that Veronica had enjoyed painting, but didn't realize how much of an amazing artist the woman had been. Most of the paintings were hung amongst the walls, while others were stacked, leaning against them. She allowed her eyes to wonder around at them, noticing that some appeared to be bright and happy, while others were dark and foreboding. Upon examining them closer, Kiara realized that the dates on the bottom corner of her work showed that the happier ones were from longer ago while the ones that appeared sad were dated closer to her time of death. 

A chill ran down her spine from that discovery, which only deepened the sorrow she felt for the woman she never met and hardly knew a thing about. She made herself pull her attention away from the artwork and focus on the other things in the room. She noticed the chair that was kicked over, a screwdriver lying on the ground along with a vent cover that seemed to belong to the rectangular hole in the wall, but most importantly she noticed the blood splattered across the hard wood floors. The entire house radiated with bad energy, but this room in particular made her feel queasy from the amount of tension that still seemed to hang thick in the air from the horrible things these boards and beams witnessed over the years.

Kie removed her cell phone from the breast pocket on the shirt and accesed her camera so she could record a video of the chair, the vent, the blood; all the evidence of what had taken place in this room yesterday morning that seemed to add up accurately to JJ's story. When she felt she had a good enough look and captured everything on video, she deicded that it was time to leave. She felt as though she needed some air after being in this house for only ten minutes. She took one last glance around Veronica's room before closing the door and walking back into JJ's bedroom. 

She moved to the window, about to place her cell phone back into her pocket so she could reach out and push the glass open, when something in her gut told her to stop. Though it was only her intuition, it almost seemed as if there was someone whispering into her ear, making her suddenly feel the need to check the video she had recorded. Feeling slightly confused by this, she moved over to JJ's bed and took a seat, opening her photo gallery so she could access the video. 

As her camera panned around Veronica's art room and the mess the Maybank boy's scuffle had left, something caught her attention. It was quick, something she was surprised she even noticed and she had to pan back the video a few times to try to figure out what it was. When the camera faced a wall of shelves holding what seemed to be nothing but art supplies for a brief moment, there was tiny red flash that appeared and disappeared within a millisecond.

Kie knitted her eyebrows together, baffled as to what that could of been. After watching a few more times and not being able to tell, curiosity got the best of her and she pushed herself off of the mattress and headed back into the art room. She stopped in the middle of the floorboards; right where she was when the video had been taken, and stared at the spot where the red light had appeared in the recording.

After a few moments of staring at that spot, her own eyes caught a glimpse of the same red light. It was faint and hardly noticeable, just as it had been in her video. She moved forward towards the shelf and pushed away two clear mason jars that held paint brushes, gasping at what she revealed. 

Sitting on the shelf was a video camera, lens aimed directly at Kiara's face. She wasn't exactly sure what had made her stop from leaving to double check the video she had taken on her cell phone, but goose bumps appeared across her flesh as she made this discovery and part of her felt as though if there was an afterlife, Veronica had led her to discover this camera to help save her son.

The red light flashed again, indicating that the camera was recording. If it was recording now, then there was a chance it had been recording when Luke came after JJ. Perhaps Luke had planted the camera here so he could see if his son ever came into this room, and that is how he knew JJ hid her necklace inside the vent on the wall. Kie decided that maybe it hadn't been such a bad idea to come here after all. 

She snatched the camera down from the shelf it sat on and turned it around so she could see its digital screen. She stopped the camera from recording then went in so she could play back everything it had captured, fast forwarding through it until she could find what she was looking for. When she saw JJ entering the room, she resumed it to normal speed.

"Bingo." She whispered to herself, heart hammering inside her chest.

She watched the video closely as JJ grabbed the chair and drug it across the room and opened the vent. She could see how panicked he became when he came out empty handed, and she could see his body tense up when Luke entered the room. Soon, hot tears were sliding down her cheeks as she watched the chair get kicked out from under him, his body slamming to the ground before his father started to kick him. She had never seen this happen first hand and it was even more horrifying then she had ever imagined. Before she knew it she felt a sob rattle through her and she had to stop the video, she couldn't take much more.

Her lip was quivering as she moved the camera around in her hands until she found an opening to where the batteries would be placed. When she found it, she popped it open with her fingernail. Right next to where the batteries were was exactly what she needed; a memory card slot. She popped out the SD card and held it out in front of her like it was the golden ticket to the chocolate factory.

Kie placed the camera back where she had found it, then slid the mason jars back in front of it. Needing a safe place for the tiny SD card, she took her phone back out of her pocket, popped open her it's case and placed the card against the back of her phone. Just as she was placing the case back on, a sound came from the front of the house that made her stop dead in her tracks; the front door opening.

It was followed by two set of footsteps and Kiara's blood suddenly ran cold when she heard the voices. "You're getting old, man. I remember telling you to grab the coke!" Barry scoffed.

"Shut the fuck up." Luke said in what seemed to be a joking manner. "It's right over here."

Kiara's eyes widened, and she looked down at John B's shirt into the pocket where the cocaine sat.

_...Shit!! Shit Shit Shit!_

"Right where? I don't see it." Barry said.

"What the hell?" Luke exclaimed and she could hear the sound of him moving around his mess on the table in search for the bag of coke. "I sat it right here!"

Kiara knew she had to get out of here. She felt idotic for taking the coke, she was planning to dump it the first chance she got but now she wished she would of just let it lay there. They would of took it and left and she would of been able to get out of there with ease.

"You better get to finding it or your ass is going to owe me big time." It seemed that Barry was growing agitated with Luke.

Kiara moved slowly, taking each step more softly than she had earlier when no one was here. She made it to the door and every so carefully peaked down the hall in the direction of the living room. She could only faintly see Barry's back. She then turned to look towards JJ's room, she had left his door open and it was only about four steps away from where she stood.

She had no other choice, opening a window in Veronica's room would be too difficult and noisy with the amount of things that were laying around near the windows. Kie tip toed into the hallway, keeping close to the wall for better coverage. As she made it into JJ's bedroom, she instantly headed for the window.

Just as she was half way across his room, her phone that was still clutched in her hand began to ring and Kie suddenly felt as though she could die. As quickly as she could, she denied the call that popped up as an unknown number from Kildare County and hit the button on the side of her phone to mute it.

_Oh no..._

"The fuck....Did you hear that?" Luke asked.

"Yeah...is someone here?" Barry responded.

_FUCK!_

At this point, she knew she didn't have time to make it out of the window. She sprinted for JJ's closet, shutting the door to it as lightly as she could and rutted her way to the far back corner in hopes that his clothes would give her all the coverage she needed. Her body was shaking and her mind was racing as she heard their footsteps coming down the hallway to JJ's bedroom.


	15. The Law of The Jungle

**••• JJ •••**

JJ followed Sheriff Peterkin out of the interrogation room, slowly scratching his fingers along his chest, gripping the marital of his shirt a little with each motion as he glanced around his surroundings.

Though he was always one to loose his temper, he was not typically one to loose his cool emotionally. He wasn't used to the anxiety that was swelling in his chest or the dry feeling in the back of his throat, which was making it difficult for him to swallow. 

The entire weekend had been a shit show that was weighing down on him. Not a single thing had went to plan. Though there were some outcomes that led him to a position with Kiara that had seemed impossible for any of the Pogue's to ever obtain; especially for him. That door had always been sealed away and locked up good, but somehow he had managed to find the key; though it seemed at the cost of being in the position he is in now.

Something about Peterkin telling him the backstory of his mother's relationship with her and his father was bringing this anxious feeling over the edge, like a pot of water threatening to boil over the brim. He could feel how close he was to losing his grip. 

Veronica was in the back of his mind now and he was reminded of the giant loving smile that she always wore when his father wasn't around. The way she was always able to make him laugh and how she scrunched up her nose with her own melodic laughter. How these things used to warm his young soul and bring him comfort. 

But he was also reminded of the deepened frown and look of worry in her eye that would be replaced on her beautiful features when his father was home.

He was reminded of her tears. Their screaming voices. Glasses shattering. Doors slamming. Holes left behind in drywall. 

He was reminded of the many times he curled up into a ball in his room with his hands clapped over his ears doing one of three things; crying, humming to drown out the noise, or praying that his dad would never come home again so his mom could always be happy.

And now as he pondered on it, he remembered how often she would have a new bruise or mark on her body, and how she always attempted to hide it from him.

All of the memories of his mother that he kept pushed down were flooding back in, feeling like harsh slaps across the face.

Like the sting of her abrupt absence and the feeling of abandonment when his eight year old self rolled over in his bed to find a goodbye letter from the light of his life. It was filled with scribbled handwriting as though she had written it to him in a rush.

_My JJ,  
You may never understand, and I don't expect you to...but I have to leave and I cannot take you with me.  
My sweet boy...nothing in my life has made me happier than your existence and I love you more than you'll ever know. Please don't ever forget that.  
Be strong for me. I know how strong you are.  
One day I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive me, but if not...  
Just know how sorry I am.  
\- Mom _

Atop the crinkled, tear-stained letter had laid a shark tooth necklace on a black cord. It was the same tooth they had found just the day before she left when they had taken a stroll across the beach and it was the same shark tooth necklace he was currently fidgeting between his forefinger and thumb from nerves.

Worst of all, as if the memory of her leaving without him wasn't bad enough, he was reminded of the gut wrenching shock of her death that made him feel weak in the knees, and how Peterkin seemed to think she pulled out in front of that semi because she couldn't handle everything that his father had put her through. Rather than to admit the truth that he abused her and fight to obtain full custody and place Luke behind bars.

_Was I not enough to make her want to live? Was she truly foolish enough to think it was best to leave me with that fuck? Look where it's gotten me._

JJ was feeling utterly broken and more than anything he yearned for Kiara's presence to make him feel safe from these haunting thoughts and overwhelming emotions, but her voice would have to suffice for now. He followed behind Peterkin into a larger room where he presumed he'd be taking his call. It was much busier than he had hoped. There were a few officers sitting at desks seemingly busy at work while a handful of others were chatting noisily amongst themselves. 

He followed the Sheriff to the other end of the room where the phone was mounted to the wall, and to his dismay, Clag was leaning against that same brick wall, shoving a glazed donut down his gullet in a stereotypical fashion. When the officer caught sight of JJ, his gaze instantly turned cold and hard, and JJ knew his own eyes mimicked the glare.

_Who truly thought it was smart to give this bastard a badge and a gun?_

Peterkin turned to look at JJ while motioning to the phone. He tore his eyes off of Hulk Hogan Jr. and pushed his lips together into a fine line as he gave her an awkward nod.

It wasn't exactly where he would of liked to take his phone call. The room was bustling and both Peterkin and Clag were standing too close to JJ for him to be able to have a private phone conversation, but at least he was moments away from hearing Kiara's voice.

With a sigh, JJ reached out and grabbed the phone from the wall mount and placed it to his ear before using his shaking finger to punch in the number he knew by heart. He turned so that his back was facing towards Clag and leaned his head closer into the wall to get as much privacy as he could.

The phone rang once.

He continued to hold the phone to his ear, silently praying for it to ring again, not wanting to accept the fact that all he was hearing was dial tone. It was as though Kiara dismissed the call from her cellphone instantly. She was never one to answer phone calls from numbers she didn't know, but he figured she would expect that he was able to have one call from jail.

_Damn it Kie. I need you._

JJ turned around to peek at Peterkin, but she was now engaged in a conversation with another officer. When his eyes landed on Clag, the burly man still had his sights set on JJ, boring holes into his skull.

JJ quickly looked away and reached up to type in Kiara's cell phone number one more time.

"Ah ah ah, not so fast. They call it your one phone call for a reason." Clag spoke out with a cocky demeanor.

"No one answered...I didn't even get to talk to anybody!" JJ sputtered, looking at the Officer dumbfounded.

"One call, one try. Same thing. Tough luck." Clag shrugged his shoulder. There was a small smile playing on his lips; it was obvious the man enjoyed how much authority he had over JJ.

"You've got to be kidding me!" JJ exclaimed loud enough to catch Peterkin's attention, in fact the chattering inside the room had died down all together. He jutted out his finger, pointing towards Clag as he spoke again. "That's bullshit!" 

He then slammed the phone back onto its holder and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs.

"You better watch yourself, boy!" Clag warned, once again using the same label JJ's own father always referred to him as that really made his blood boil.

He could feel the flush from anger crawling up his neck as Clag took a step towards him. "That thin ice you're walkin' on with me is about to crack, and if you think you're in trouble now, you don't want to know what happens when you fall through."

JJ's nostrils flared. He tensed his muscles and stood a little taller as Clag spoke in his face. If he was going to be locked up anyways, it would be worth it to knock the lights out of that prick, but he somehow managed to not pursue the idea, especially since in that moment he had every gun wielding officer in the room looking at him. His hand still twitched at the thought.

Peterkin acted quickly and stepped between the two before JJ was able to change his mind back to giving the man a right hook. "Hey hey hey...cool it!" As she spoke she placed her hand on JJ's tense shoulder before looking Clag dead in the eye. "Both of you."

Peterkin gave JJ a soft squeeze and began guiding him away from the phone. He didn't speak, he knew in that moment he was a bad mix of emotions and anything he had to say was nothing but harsh words.

As they approached the exit to the room, JJ turned to look over his shoulder to see Clag was using the phone himself. His sights were still set on JJ from across the room and JJ got the feeling that whoever he was talking to, they were discussing him.

**••• KIARA •••**

Hidden away in the back corner of JJ's closet, Kiara pushed her body as flat as she could against the wall. Plenty of clothes were hung up on the railing to give her coverage, along with clutter on the floor to hide her legs and feet, but it wasn't enough to give her a peace of mind that she'd be safe from being discovered.

She had been so close to escaping the house with the evidence she needed to get justice for JJ and she was thankful that her gut instinct had led her here after her pit stop at the gas station, but now she was struck with fear that it would all be for nothing.

She could tell that the storm outside had picked back up as it splattered loudly against the roof of the house. She tried to listen past the rain and focus on the boots walking down the hallway.

Whoever had tried calling her; a damn telemarketer she assumed, really sent her into a more dangerous situation. When she was the Pogues she always felt brave and protected, but now she was by herself in a house with two treacherous men and nothing to defend herself with.

An idea crossed her mind, but it required putting people she cared about in danger. She chewed at her bottom lip, knowing she didn't have much time to determine if she wanted to put John B and Pope at risk with her. But she knew if she messaged them they wouldn't hesitate to come to her rescue.

_No...I can't put them in danger over my own foolish decisions. I knew there was a chance that this would happen._

The footsteps grew louder as their boots trudged forward and soon she was aware that both Luke and Barry had entered JJ's bedroom. Kie couldn't stop the uneven rise and fall of her chest that the adrenaline of fear brought. The small space of the closet seemed to be filled with the sound of her breathing, so she slowly raised her shaking hand up to cup over her mouth in hopes that the sound would be muffled as the air from her lungs escaped between her fingers.

"Anybody in here?" Luke's husky voice boomed out sternly to the room.

There was a sound of rustling, as if they were starting to look around the tiny bedroom. Every hair on Kiara's body was standing up and her muscles tensed in anticipation that the closet door would swing open at any second.

Kiara could hear Luke whispering, and it sounded like he said "You check under the bed, I'll check the closet." Before he spat out loudly "You think it's cool to break into somebody's house and try to take their belongings?"

_I'm fucked. I'm totally fucked._

A moment after the words left his mouth there was a sound that resembled a gun being cocked. Kiara had never been around guns much until JJ had gotten ahold of a handgun a few years back. He became obsessed with the thing and carried it around almost everywhere for 'protection'. That was until he got tired of hearing her complain about him having it and he ended up selling it, or at least he said he did.

The sound she heard was eerily similar to that of a handgun. It made her eyes grow wide before she shut them tight. It hadn't occurred to her that they could have a weapon, but honestly she should of known better considering the encounter they had with Barry in the past. Kiara silently sent a prayer out for any higher being to hear, begging for protection.

"People get their brains blown out for much less." The next sentence left Barry's mouth like a low hiss being pushed between his teeth as the door to the closet shook slightly as though one of them had placed their hand on the knob. A chill shot down her spine and her eyes began to prick with tears.

_This is it._

"Put that damn thing away, man!" Luke muttered, his voice coming from directly behind the closet door.

"What!? Why?" Barry exclaimed.

"You're not shootin' anyone in my house. I'm already playing with fire when it comes to the law around here. I was lucky enough to get them to arrest that kid thanks to my good buddy but we aren't about to do something that would end up getting that revoked and get us sent behind the bars in JJ's place!"

_Good buddy?_

The closet door shook again, and this time she assumed it was because Luke had let go of the knob. She opened her eyes and could see his shadow moving from the faint light that shone through from underneath the door.

"You're telling me you wouldn't show some motherfucker a lesson for this?" Barry scoffed at Luke.

"I'm not saying I wouldn't. There are other ways to do that." Luke responded. 

"Fine. But I've had my place broken into and money stolen by your boy and his pathetic little entourage and I regret not hunting down every single one of them..."

His words made her gasp silently. Though Kiara didn't have a hand in breaking into his place or stealing his money, she was still there on his property when it happened. If only he knew one of those people he wanted to hunt down was right behind the closet door.

Suddenly a phone began to ring, and this time it was not her cell going off.

"You check that closet. I gotta go take this...I'll be in my barn. If there is someone in there, bring them out." Luke muttered. 

Kiara could hear him turn and leave the room at the same time that Barry moved in closer to the closet. 

"Make that shit quick." Barry yelled out to him. "We still have a party to be at."

Her eyes darted around once more, scanning the dark area for any sort of weapon like a baseball bat or golf club but she came up empty yet again. She was completely defenseless. 

The closet door rattled once more as Barry placed his hand on the knob and Kiara swallowed hard. In the next second, the door swung open and Barry pulled the the string to turn on the closet light.

Kie held her breath, not wanting to make even the slightest sound. Her heartbeat was hammering so loud in her eardrums that she was afraid that he might be able to hear it.

She could feel the clothes that hung in front of her starting to move as the sound of metal hangers sliding across the closet railing filled the small space. With another swift sweep, Kiara became exposed, her eyes instantly falling upon Barry. 

He started at her in shock for a moment as if she was the last person he would of expected to see there before a yellow-toothed grin spread across his face in the most gut wrenching way.

"Well well well....would you look what we have here?" He said as he leaned inside to get a better look at her. Kiara gawked at him from the back of the closet like a deer in headlights that had no time to run, because there was no place for her to go. She was stuck there with him blocking the exit.

She couldn't speak, either. She was frozen with fear.

"I remember you." Barry spoke slowly as he reached out and grabbed a fist full of the Hawaiian shirt that she wore, pulling her out of the closet. "You're that pretty little Kook who pretends to be a Pogue."

Barry grabbing her and calling her a Kook was enough to break Kiara from her stricken state and to allow her feistiness to kick in. She glared up at him with eyes full of hatred as she tried to push him away. "Don't call me a fucking Kook." 

He ignored her attempt to push him away by grabbing both of her arms and shoving her against the wall by the closet. She gasped softly from the shock of it.

"I remember when I had you laying on the ground with a shotgun pointed at your head." Barry said in a taunting whisper, holding his grin. 

Kiara squirmed, trying to break free from his grip, but he wouldn't let her budge.

"I remember you and your little friends catching me off guard then beating the shit out of me, before tossing my keys into the woods." Barry leaned his head closer into hers with a crazy look in his eye. He was so close that she could smell the stale cigarettes that lingered on his breath. She turned her head to the side, not wanting to look him in the face.

"You know how long it took me to find those keys, by myself, with a busted up face and rib cage!?" He asked, abruptly grabbing Kiara by the jaw, forcing her to look at him and squeezing so hard it caused her lips to part and her jaw to go slack. "THREE FUCKING HOURS!" 

Kie winced away from his shout just as a loud blast of thunder rattled the house. "You...you pulled the gun on us. We protected ourselves." Kiara spoke, her voice sounding small.

"Don't. Even." He said, annoyed. Barry looked down in thought but it became obvious that something in Kiara's pocket caught his eyes before they snapped back onto her own. "Then, Luke's boy, accompanied by your little group of friends, decide to break into MY house and steal MY money. Kind of like what you are doing right now."

Barry let go of her with one hand and reached down into the breast pocket of the Hawaiian shirt, retrieving the bag of cocaine that him and Luke had came for.

"What the fuck you doing with this, huh?" Barry asked as he waved the bag in her face.

Kiara hesitated, now knowing how to answer. No matter what she said, it looked bad. Barry's fingers curled into the skin on her arm, causing her to think faster.

"I'm sorry if you feel like what we did to you before was wrong, but It's the law of the jungle. You hit us first, we hit you back. We would of never messed with you had you never laid us on a road, threatening to shoot us."

He ignored her, just raised a quizzical brow waiting for her to answer him about the coke. She knew there was no going around it so she sighed.

"Luke fucked with the Pogues so a Pogue is striking back. I'm sure you already know the truth about what happened with JJ unless Luke has you brainwashed. Maybe it was foolish of me to come here, but after I saw you two at the gas station and heard that you were about to party over an eighteen year old boy going to prison, his entire future torn to shreds, I had to do something."

Kiara started off, venting from her heart. She knew she couldn't admit that she came here looking for evidence. For all she knew, Barry could know about the camera in Veronica's room too and she didn't want to risk the chance of him getting his hands on that SD card, let alone him finding out that she got ahold of it in the first place.

"I came here to leave a message to Luke. Maybe pour out all of his liquor and beer, break his tv...maybe even take a piss on his favorite sofa. These are things I'd never fucking do but the Pogues have been crossed and like I said it's the law of the jungle; he falsely accused my friend and I was just trying to strike back at him any way I could. I got as far as finding the coke and thought I'd take away the chance of him getting high." 

Barry stared at her for a second like he was examining her before snickering as he abruptly let go of her. He turned around and started walking towards JJ's bedside table. Kiara stood up a little straighter, watching him curiously when her eyes fell on the gun tucked in the back of his jeans.

Barry fiddled with the bag of cocaine for a moment then dumped some of the white contents onto the wooden surface as he crouched down. He then grabbed his wallet and reached in for a credit card and a dollar bill. He took the card and began to chop up the rocks until it became a fine powder then brushed them into lines. Next he rolled the dollar bill up real tight and began to snort. 

Kiara glanced between the wide open door close to her, then to his back, contemplating her chances. He must of knew what she was thinking because after doing another line, Barry quickly stood up and drew the gun on Kiara.

"Don't even think about it." He growled. 

Kiara instantly froze as she stared into the barrel of the gun and it was just as terrifying as it had been that day he pulled them out of the Volkswagen van with a shotgun. When she finally tore her eyes away from the gun to look at his face, his eyes were sweeping up and down her figure. 

"Unbutton you're shirt." Barry demanded in a cold, dark tone.

Kiara was shocked by his request. She swallowed hard before speaking."W-what?"

"All this jungle talk makes me realize...I'm like a lion. Top of the food chain...Dangerous and hungry. You're just a small defensive Gazelle...A piece of meat." 

Kiara's heart dropped into her stomach at his words and her body continued to tremble from being held at gunpoint. Barry slowly walked closer to her.

"I thought I told you to unbutton your shirt?" He asked as he stood before her again, making a gesture with the gun that she should proceed.

Kie broke her gaze away from the weapon to look down. Although Luke said Barry couldn't shoot anybody in his house, Kie wasn't sure if she wanted to test her luck.

Her hands didn't want to work properly and she couldn't tell if it was from how badly they were shaking or because they didn't want to cooperate with what they were being told to do. Eventually, she managed to get all of the buttons through the holes until the front of the Hawaiian shirt was open, exposing her bathing suit and more flesh than she'd ever want Barry to see.

When she looked back up, his eyes were roaming her skin, making her feel more sick than she already was. He reached out, but Kiara leaned away from him. He gave her a disapproving look and clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth a few times before reaching out again with his free hand. This time she didn't move, and he slid his hand under the open shirt, his rough palm brushing across her shoulder so that the shirt would fall down her arm, then doing the same to the other side.

He made a disgusting sound when the shirt hit the floor, like a teenage boy who had never seen a woman in a swim suit. She wasn't sure where this was going to go, but she was absolutely terrified by the idea of what Barry was planning to do with her.

He continued to hold the gun on Kiara as he walked around her, not even attempting to be oblivious to how much he was checking her body out. In that moment it felt very much like a predator and prey situation. 

He was on the backside of her now, and it made her more nervous that she could no longer see the gun. A moment later she could feel Barry's fingers running down her shoulder blade, causing her to grimace. 

Barry leaned down, pressing his lips to her ear as he whispered.

"Luke says I can't shoot anyone in his home. He says there are other ways to teach the person who stole the coke a lesson. I think I'd like to try those ways before taking drastic measures. " His hands were now at the back of her bathing suit top, pulling at the strings. Kiara's eyes began to grow glossy with tears. "But don't get me wrong...I don't care what Luke says, I'll shoot you if I have to...or if I want to."

The bathing suit top was now untied and it fell to the floor before she had the chance to catch it. 

Barry's hand that was holding the gun wrapped around Kiara's belly and pulled her back up against his chest while his mouth sloppily kissed the side of her neck and shoulder. 

Kiara's tears broke free and started to stream down her face, she had never felt more disgusted in her life. When Barry's free hand came around and cupped her breast, she cried out. "Fuck you!"

If it wasn't for the gun, she'd be kicking and scratching to break away from him, but she didn't want to end up dead.

"Shut up!" He hissed, and to her surprise he let go of her, shoving her forward. "You need to loosen up. Do a few lines."

Kie stumbled. Once she regained her footing, her arms instantly crossed over her chest to hide herself. Although she was big on smoking Mary Jane and on occasion she'd experimented with psychedelics, cocaine was never anything she wanted to mess with.

"No." She said firmly.

"Well weren't you going to anyways if you'd of gotten away?" He asked.

"No." She repeated truthfully, knowing she had intended to destroy the contents by dumping them down the toilet.

"I don't fucking buy it. Now get on your knees and do a few lines like a good girl."

"I fucking said no!" Kiara couldn't help but burst out, the whole situation was fucked up and it kept getting worse. She was fed up.

But she regretted the outburst a second later when Barry aimed the gun at her again, this time pressing the muzzle of the pistol against the side of her head. 

"And I said drop to your god damn knees and snort the fucking coke you wanted to steal!" Barry growled.

Kie slowly slid down onto her knees in front of JJ's bedside table. She couldn't help the tears that continued to stream down her cheeks, nor the quiet sob that rattled from her chest. Barry also made a small sound, but it was more of a disgusting grunt as if he was getting off by holding her by gunpoint and forcing her to do something she didn't want to do.

"Do it." He egged her on.

She stared down at the white powered rows of cocaine, every fiber of her being telling her not to listen to him, to be foolish and try to fight. She wanted to believe that Barry wouldn't have the balls to actually pull the trigger on her, but was she willing to disobey him to find out? 

Kiara knew she could hesitate too much longer with the gun pressed to her skull, so she leaned forward, reluctantly pushing one side of her nose closed while sticking the rolled up dollar bill at the tip of her other nostril. She hovered over the line a moment too long and Barry pressed the muzzle harder against her head. At the notion, Kie quickly ran the dollar bill across one line, snorting up the drug.

Barry dropped the gun from her head as she rocked backwards onto her heels, feeling the intense fiery numb sensation run through her nostril and down her throat.

"Was that so hard?" He asked. "Take another."

"Please don't." She whispered, holding her nose and looking up at him with wet eyes, hoping that some sort of humanity would come through to him.

But the gun was quickly drew on her again and it was clear that he absolutely did not give a fuck. She knew she had no other choice unless she wanted to risk being shot. She felt so vulnerable, exposed and dirty kneeled down topless beside Barry, running her face across the cocaine.

"Good girl." Barry purred our, making her want to spew her guts more than she already did. He dropped the gun away from her with satisfaction and tucked it in the back of his jeans again. "Stand up."

And when she did, he collided with her, forcing her down onto JJ's mattress. He was strong and quick, pinning down her wrists above her head with one hand while the other was left to roam over her body. 

She screamed and tried to kick and wail her body around but nothing was stopping him. Despite all her cries and pleas, he started rubbing himself against her as he sucked on her flesh. 

Kie continued to try her damndest to squirm away from him. All she had wanted by coming here was justice for JJ; for her best friend, for the person who unexpectedly creeped up on her and made her feel something more. All justice seemed lost as she became afraid for her virginity to be taken by this horrible man as well as her life.

She wished JJ was here to save her, because even a gun wouldn't stop him from tearing Barry off of her. He would beat this sick man until he took his last breath for what he was doing to her.

She wished she would of sent out a S.O.S to Pope and John B when she had the chance and that at any minute they'd be here and could stop this horrifying event from unfolding.

She even almost wished for Luke to come back in the room, maybe then Barry would stop what he was doing, but she couldn't be entirely sure of it.

Barry untied the side strings of her bikini with one hand, just the way JJ had done earlier that morning. Kie was becoming tired of struggling against him, and was starting to have trouble putting up her useless fight.

Barry pushed her legs apart and began to grope her as he met his lips with her own. He kissed her with so much force intensity that she could hardly turn her head away from him. He tasted bad and felt horrible. It was no where close to the way JJ's lips had fit and tasted against her own.

Her head was growing foggy and she didn't know if it was the coke or if her mind wanted to zone out so she didn't have to experience the traumatic thing that was happening to her. 

After what felt like a long time of being far away inside her head as Barry molested her, something in her head finally cleared and clicked. Something that was worth trying to get herself free.

As much as every fiber of her being screamed for her not to, she began to let herself ease up and melt into Barry. When his sloppy mouth made its way back to her, she slowly started to reciprocate. 

_This may be your only chance, Kie. Play along. ___

____

She parted her lips and let her tongue slip past, hoping he would buy into it. He had made her take the coke because he wanted her to loosen up, so that's how she is going to act. He groaned softly with approval and their mouths moved together in unison. She loathed every second of it but knew she had to be strong.

____

When he slipped another finger inside of her, it took everything for her not to scream with disgust and cry out from pain. She felt down right dirty. 

____

Instead, she moaned softly and pretended like she was starting to truly enjoy what he was doing to her. She arched her back and tilted her chin up, thus causing him to get more into it. After a couple of moments he let go of her wrists so he could have both hands to feel her up, which is exactly what she had wanted him to do. She continued to play along and gripped onto his face then tangled her fingers into his long hair, but inside she was dying. 

____

"You like that don't you?" He breathed out when she moaned again.

____

_No you sick fuck!_

____

"Y-yes!" She lied.

____

Barry chuckled, pleased with himself. "I always figured you were a little slut."

____

_Fuck you! You're a god damn idiot for letting go of my wrists..._

____

She let go of his hair and slid her hands up and down his sides. She wanted to get his guard down enough and truly make him believe she was turned on to what was happening. She didn't want him to make the connection that she was trying for his weapon. She gripped at the sides of his shirt and moaned softly as he sucked at her neck, when she really wanted to scream at the top of her lungs.

____

Kiara didn't know how long she could put up the act so she slowly slid her hands back down, acting as though she wanted to remove his shirt. She slipped her fingers up underneath and glided her fingertips along his skin. 

____

"Take it off." She whispered to him, hoping he would listen.

____

He looked up at her and grinned before leaning back and gripping the bottom hem of his shirt. Kie pushed herself up onto hers hands so she could lean up with him and watch.

____

Barry began to pull his shirt up his body, but as soon as the material covered his face were he couldn't see, she acted quickly.

____

Kie pushed herself up further so she could reach around him. She grabbed the gun and pulled it from the back of his jeans. Before he even had time to react, she had the weapon pointed at his head.

____

"You fucking bitch!" He seethed out as he pulled the shirt back down over his chest, anger red hot in his eyes.

____

"Get. The. Fuck. Off. Me." She slowly growled out. It was taking everything in her not to just pull the trigger and end the pathetic excuse of a human being after what he just did to her.

____

Barry looked between her and the gun, and she could tell he was contemplating if he could make a move to snag the weapon out of her hands.

____

"I wouldn't try it." She warned him, and the glare in his eyes intensified. He slowly moved off of her and the bed.

____

Kiara didn't let the gun move away from his head once as she stood from the bed herself. "Put your hands up."

____

He ignored her order and instead he took a step towards her. "You listen to me-" 

____

"No." Kiara said loudly, cutting him off as she took a step away from him. "You listen to me! Put your hands up or I will shoot you."

____

Barry still didn't listen, instead he studied her for a long moment before a smile broke across his face and he began to laugh. "This is bullshit. You wouldn't have the guts to pull the trigger on me. Look at you, you're trembling."

____

"You really want to fucking try me!?" She shouted. 

____

Although she was trembling she felt it was more from exhilaration from getting the upper hand mixed with the high from the cocaine. 

____

"After everything you've done to me before and after you just forced me to take a drug I didn't want to take and after you just tried to rape me!?" She continued.

____

"You shoot me and you'd be in jail next to your pathetic little friend." He warned.

____

"So be it. I'd sleep like a baby every night knowing I wiped a scumbag like you from the earth." Kie stated, trying to put confidence behind her words but Barry still wasn't buying it.

____

"Give me the gun." He said, taking a step towards her. It was obvious that he wasn't going to take her seriously, so she had to make him.

____

Kiara moved her aim to the right of his head and pulled the trigger. JJ's tiny bedroom suddenly filled with a loud BANG as she shot the wall. She was aware that this might draw Luke's attention, but with him possibly still being on the phone out in his barn, the loud down pour of rain and thunder rumbling every couple of minutes, she prayed he hadn't noticed.

____

By the look on Barry's face, she could tell that he had not been expecting her to do that. He quickly raised his hands up to his sides, facing his palms towards her. "You crazy bitch!"

____

"Still think I won't do it?" She asked and he didn't speak. She could see him swallowing his pride and it felt good. "Now sit down."

____

He slowly obeyed and took a seat on the bed. His chest was heaving and the anger on his face was now mixed with a hint of fear from the bullet that had wizzed past his head

____

Kiara stepped forward with the guns sites lined between his eyes, still careful to keep enough distance where he couldn't jump up and slap it away from her.

____

"Now you listen to me. When Luke comes back in here you tell him that no one was in that closet. You tell him that you found the cocaine somewhere in the living room and you decided to get an early start on the partying. You never fucking saw me. Do you hear me!?" Kie was pleased with the authority in her voice.

____

"Whatever." Barry muttered.

____

"If you ever try to cross me or my friends again, I won't be afraid to send a bullet through your pathetic skull." She hissed as she slowly leaned down and picked up her clothes from the ground without taking the gun off him. As she clutched John B's Hawaiian shirt she made sure to feel that her phone and keys were still secure in the breast pocket. Next kie moved to the window and used her other hand to slide the glass panel up. She hesitated a moment, throwing the shirt back on to cover her body, watching him to make sure he wouldn't make any sudden moves.

____

"Oh, and Barry?" Kiara spoke right as she was about to climb out into the storm. "How does it feel to be the Gazelle?"

____


End file.
